julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Exploring potential influencing factors of inadherence to specialist aftercare and long-term medication in patients with acromegaly
2024-05-24

Abstract Purpose To improve the understanding of adherence as one major factor of disease control in acromegaly patients, we systematically assessed patients’ motivations to adhere to advised follow-up schedules and recommended medication for acromegaly. Methods Cross-sectional, postal questionnaire study on adult patients with acromegaly, operated upon a growth hormone producing pituitary adenoma more than 1 year ago in two tertiary treatment centers. We assessed demographic and clinical characteristics, disease status, adherence to acromegaly medication and/or aftercare, and the five dimensions defined by the World Health Organization influencing adherence. Wherever applicable, we included validated short scales. The answers of 63 patients (33 f, 30 m; mean age 56.1 y) were analyzed. Results Patients with problems in adherence to aftercare had a significantly lower subjective symptomload than those adherent to aftercare (p = 0.026) and a lower perceived need for treatment (p = 0.045). Patients with adherence problems to medication had a higher subjective symptomload than those without (p = 0.056). They also tended to have shorter consultations, were significantly more often dissatisfied with the duration of their medical consultations (42% vs 4.8%, p = 0.019) and tended to find that their physician explained potential difficulties with adherence less well than patients without adherence problems (p = 0.089). Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first study which explored adherence to medication and aftercare in patients with acromegaly, taking into account potential influencing factors from all areas defined by the WHO model of adherence. Of the modifiable factors of adherence, patient–doctor relationship seemed to play a crucial role and could be one leverage point to improve adherence.
Drift approximation by the modified Boris algorithm of charged-particle dynamics in toroidal geometry
2024-05-24

Abstract In this paper, we study the dynamics of charged particles under a strong magnetic field in toroidal axi-symmetric geometry. Using modulated Fourier expansions of the exact and numerical solutions, the long-term drift motion of the exact solution in toroidal geometry is derived, and the error analysis of the large-stepsize modified Boris algorithm over long time is provided. Numerical experiments are conducted to illustrate the theoretical results.
P.106 Using optic nerve sheath diameter over ventricular size to assess elevated intracranial pressure in pediatric patients with pineal region tumors
2024-05-24

Background: Pineal region tumors are a heterogenous group of pathologies often symptomatic due to occlusive hydrocephalus leading to elevated intracranial pressure (ICP). High ICP may not always be associated with clinical signs. A non-invasive technique for assessment of ICP is measuring the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD). The goal of this study was to determine the utility of preoperative and postoperative ONSD measurements for assessment of elevated ICP in children with pineal region tumors. Methods: Retrospective data analysis was performed in patients operated for pineal region tumors at our tertiary care center between 2003 and 2022. Preoperative and postoperative MRI scans were reviewed. Clinical data and ONSD at multiple time points were analyzed and correlated. Results: Thirty-four patients with forty operative cases met the inclusion criteria. Hydrocephalus was seen in 80% of patients preoperatively (n=32/40). Presence of hydrocephalus was associated with significantly elevated ONSD preoperatively (p=0.006) and postoperatively (p=0.017). There was significant decrease in ONSD immediately postoperatively (p&lt;0.001), at 3 months (p&lt;0.001) and 12 months (p&lt;0.001). In patients without hydrocephalus, no significant changes in ONSD were observed (p=0.369). Conclusions: ONSD is a useful adjunct for the identification of high ICP preoperatively and evaluation of treatment response postoperatively in patients presenting with pineal region tumors.
Pediatric Liver Interventions
2024-05-24

We are thrilled to present to you this special issue of Digestive Disease Interventions focusing on pediatric liver interventions. This edition encompasses the complete spectrum of pediatric liver interventions and associated topics, spanning from minimally invasive interventional radiology to surgical procedures. The articles featured in this issue have been contributed by a diverse group of experienced physicians and clinical researchers who are esteemed leaders in their respective fields. These review articles are meticulously crafted based on the latest evidence and the authors' wealth of clinical expertise.
Connecting Memory with Transnational Space Making: The Case of German-Kyrgyz Relations
2024-05-24

Abstract In the 19th century, Mennonites of German origin began to found numerous settlements in Central Asia. Of the once large number of German settlers, only a few remain in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan today, most having emigrated to Germany after the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, the village of Rot-Front in Kyrgyzstan is an exception: there are still German-Mennonite families living there who maintain a relationship with those who once left. The aim of this article is to investigate these relations with regard to the creation of transnational spaces. Memory can play a central role in the process of formation of such transnational spaces. This article explores these processes through the lens of cultural geography, applying insights of theories of practice to the study of memory landscapes using the case of the village of Rot-Front in Kyrgyzstan. The study is based on a case study approach, including field observation, qualitative interviews, biographical records and discourse analysis. The results of the study unfold in four ways: First, the formation of a collective identity is the main characteristic associated with the village of Rot-Front. Second, the role of artifacts play a minor role in memory practices. Third, the individual memory of Rot-Front is idealized by today’s ‘senior’ generation and fourth, the close exchange between those who emigrated and those who stayed is the basis of a transnational social space of Rot-Front, which will exist only as long as the generations have a personal bond with Rot-Front.
Host blood protein biomarkers to screen for Tuberculosis disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis
2024-05-24

Abstract Introduction Non-sputum tests are needed to improve TB diagnosis and close the diagnostic gap. The World Health Organization target product profile (TPP) for point-of-care (POC) screening tests requires minimum sensitivity 90% and specificity 70%. Our objective was to identify host blood protein biomarkers meeting TPP criteria. Methods A systematic review was conducted and reported following PRISMA guidelines. Data extraction and quality assessment with QUADAS-2 were completed for included studies. Heterogeneity was assessed. For biomarkers reporting sensitivity and specificity in at least four studies, a random-effects meta-analysis was performed for biomarkers with similar cut-offs. Results We screened 4,651 citations and included 65 studies that enrolled 16,010 participants and evaluated 156 host proteins. Most (47/65) studies enrolled adult pulmonary TB (PTB), with 15 studies in adult extra-pulmonary TB and 5 in children. Small early-stage discovery studies with case-control design were common (24/65) and had high risk of bias. For adult PTB, CRP, IP-10, NCAM-1, and SAA met TPP criteria in high-quality studies. There was a high degree of heterogeneity in biomarker cut-offs and study design. CRP at 10mg/L cut-off was meta-analyzed from 10 studies; pooled sensitivity 86% (95% CI: 80-95) and pooled specificity 67% (95% CI: 54-79). In people living with HIV (6 studies) CRP pooled sensitivity was 93% (95% CI: 90-95) and pooled specificity 59% (95% CI: 40-78). Discussion We identified promising biomarkers that performed well in high-quality studies. Data overall are limited and highly heterogenous. Further standardized validation across subgroups in prospective studies is needed before translating into POC assays.
A Targeted, Bioinert LC–MS/MS Method for Sensitive, Comprehensive Analysis of Signaling Lipids
2024-05-25

Signaling lipids are key players in cellular processes. Despite their importance, no method currently allows their comprehensive monitoring in one analytical run. Challenges include a wide dynamic range, isomeric and isobaric species, and unwanted interaction along the separation path. Herein, we present a sensitive and robust targeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) approach to overcome these challenges, covering a broad panel of 17 different signaling lipid classes. It involves a simple one-phase sample extraction and lipid analysis using bioinert reversed-phase liquid chromatography coupled to targeted mass spectrometry. The workflow shows excellent sensitivity and repeatability in different biological matrices, enabling the sensitive and robust monitoring of 388 lipids in a single run of only 20 min. To benchmark our workflow, we characterized the human plasma signaling lipidome, quantifying 307 endogenous molecular lipid species. Furthermore, we investigated the signaling lipidome during platelet activation, identifying numerous regulations along important lipid signaling pathways. This highlights the potential of the presented method to investigate signaling lipids in complex biological systems, enabling unprecedentedly comprehensive analysis and direct insight into signaling pathways.
WeSA: a web server for improving analysis of affinity proteomics data
2024-05-25

Abstract Protein–protein interaction experiments still yield many false positive interactions. The socioaffinity metric can distinguish true protein-protein interactions from noise based on available data. Here, we present WeSA (Weighted SocioAffinity), which considers large datasets of interaction proteomics data (IntAct, BioGRID, the BioPlex) to score human protein interactions and, in a statistically robust way, flag those (even from a single experiment) that are likely to be false positives. ROC analysis (using CORUM-PDB positives and Negatome negatives) shows that WeSA improves over other measures of interaction confidence. WeSA shows consistently good results over all datasets (up to: AUC = 0.93 and at best threshold: TPR = 0.84, FPR = 0.11, Precision = 0.98). WeSA is freely available without login (wesa.russelllab.org). Users can submit their own data or look for organized information on human protein interactions using the web server. Users can either retrieve available information for a list of proteins of interest or calculate scores for new experiments. The server outputs either pre-computed or updated WeSA scores for the input enriched with information from databases. The summary is presented as a table and a network-based visualization allowing the user to remove those nodes/edges that the method considers spurious.
Cooperative AI training for cardiothoracic segmentation in computed tomography: An iterative multi-center annotation approach
2024-05-25

The iterative training workflow provides an efficient method for training AI-based segmentation models in multi-center studies, improving accuracy over time and simultaneously reducing human intervention. Future work will explore the use of fewer initial datasets and additional pre-processing methods to enhance model quality.
Climatic variability in the Armenian Highlands as the backdrop to hominin population dynamics 50–25 ka
2024-05-26

The impact of Late Pleistocene climatic oscillations, volcanism and the diverse terrain of the Armenian Highlands affected hominin population dynamics and movements through the region. To test different scenarios for the period 50–25 ka regarding expansion, adaptive response, intra-population interactions and extinction, we need local on-site paleoclimatic data found in association with hominin occupations. However, this approach has been hampered by the dearth and highly uneven spatiotemporal recovery of paleoclimatic data from prehistoric sites across the region. In this study, we analyze multiple assemblages of fossil micromammals from the Late Middle Paleolithic (LMP) Lusakert-1 rockshelter (two fossil-yielding strata; &lt;55 ka) and Early Upper Paleolithic (EUP) Aghitu-3 Cave (four fossil-yielding strata; ∼39–24 ka) using geometric morphometric-aided taxonomy, to quantify the representation of different species among the abundant and diverse arvicoline genera (Microtus and Chionomys; mean = 58% of assemblages). We combined this approach with quantitative species-level paleoclimatic reconstructions (Bioclimatic Model; 14 rodent taxa) to determine changes in habitat composition as well as temperature and precipitation shifts during the Late Middle–Early Upper Paleolithic. Taphonomic analysis was conducted to establish isotaphonomy among the assemblages. The analysis shows higher than present-day absolute temperatures for the series of occupations at both Lusakert-1 and Aghitu-3, making it unlikely that hominin activity at the sites coincided with extreme cold-climate phases. A multivariate comparison of the taxonomic abundances (genus level) across a wider sample of regional Middle Paleolithic (MP) and Upper Paleolithic (UP) cave sites (Hovk-1, Kudaro-1, Mezmaiskaya, Satsurblia and Dzudzuana) indicates the possibility of cold-period occupation at only two of the sites, Mezmaiskaya Layers 3 and 2 and Kudaro-1 Layer 3. We surmise that the manufacturers of LMP lithic industries in the Caucasus were well adapted to these challenging environments, thus undermining arguments that rapid climate change through the LMP/EUP period could alone have determined the course of population dynamics in this region.
Islam in the digital infrastructure: the rise of Islamic cyber practices in Northern Nigeria
2024-05-26

This contribution investigates how people in Northern Nigeria appropriated and converted digital technology into the Islamic infrastructure. Using ethnographic and netnographic methods, I examine three 'infrastructural outcomes' or 'infrastructural components' of Salafi digital practices: the cyber imam figure; new notions of Islamic community (cyber ummah); and the notion of algorithmic religiosity. I propose the term 'cyber imams' to describe a set of Salafi scholars who use digital infrastructure to engage in digital da'wah, attract followers, and cultivate religious authority online. The cyber ummah is a dynamic cluster of different types of social media formations that have become a palpable and tangible community of believers through online interactivity and the experience of presence. I define algorithmic religiosity as the ability of social media algorithms to be used to shape certain religious subjectivities, build religious collectivity, and cultivate discrete religious authority. These tropes are enabled and afforded by the emergence of Islamic digital infrastructure.
Development of a film-forming oleogel with increased substantivity for the treatment of psoriasis
2024-05-26

The aim of this work was the development of a film-forming formulation (FFF) for the topical treatment of psoriasis that shows an increased substantivity compared to conventional semi-solid dosage forms. The developed formulation is an oleogel. It is based on a combination of castor oil and medium chain triglycerides, and the oil-soluble film former MP-30 (Croda GmbH, Nettetal, Germany), a polyamide that upon mixing with a polar oil entraps the oil und thus substantially increases the viscosity of the formulation up to a semisolid state. Betamethasone dipropionate (BDP) and calcipotriole (CA) were used as active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Oleogels of different compositions were evaluated regarding substantivity, rheological properties, ex-vivo penetration into the skin and ex-vivo permeation through the skin. Marketed products were used as controls. It was found that the amount of betamethasone dipropionate penetrating and permeating into and through the skin from the film-forming formulation is at an intermediate value compared to the marketed products. The substantivity of the developed formulation is described by an amount of 57.7 % formulation that remains on the skin surface and is thus significantly higher compared to the marketed products. In the film forming formulation, the proportion of API penetrating the skin remains the same when the skin repetitively brought in contact with a piece of textile during the penetration experiment. In contrast with the in-market formulations tested, this proportion was reduced by up to 97 %. As a result, the developed formulations can lead to an increased patient compliance.
Larger putamen in individuals at risk and with manifest bipolar disorder
2024-05-27

Abstract Background: Individuals at risk for bipolar disorder (BD) have a wide range of genetic and non-genetic risk factors, like a positive family history of BD or (sub)threshold affective symptoms. Yet, it is unclear whether these individuals at risk and those diagnosed with BD share similar gray matter brain alterations. Methods: In 410 male and female participants aged 17–35 years, we compared gray matter volume (3T MRI) between individuals at risk for BD (as assessed using the EPI bipolar scale; n = 208), patients with a DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of BD ( n = 87), and healthy controls ( n = 115) using voxel-based morphometry in SPM12/CAT12. We applied conjunction analyses to identify similarities in gray matter volume alterations in individuals at risk and BD patients, relative to healthy controls. We also performed exploratory whole-brain analyses to identify differences in gray matter volume among groups. ComBat was used to harmonize imaging data from seven sites. Results: Both individuals at risk and BD patients showed larger volumes in the right putamen than healthy controls. Furthermore, individuals at risk had smaller volumes in the right inferior occipital gyrus, and BD patients had larger volumes in the left precuneus, compared to healthy controls. These findings were independent of course of illness (number of lifetime manic and depressive episodes, number of hospitalizations), comorbid diagnoses (major depressive disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety disorder, eating disorder), familial risk, current disease severity (global functioning, remission status), and current medication intake. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that alterations in the right putamen might constitute a vulnerability marker for BD.
Performance effects from different shutdown methods of three electrode materials for the power-to-gas application with electromethanogenesis
2024-05-27

Abstract Industrial applications of microbial electrochemical systems will require regular maintenance shutdowns, involving inspections and component replacements to extend the lifespan of the system. Here, we examined the impact of such shutdowns on the performance of three electrode materials ( i.e ., platinized titanium, graphite, and nickel) as cathodes in a microbial electrochemical system that would be used for electromethanogenesis in power-to-gas applications. We focused on methane (CH 4 ) production from hydrogen (H 2 ) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) using Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus . We showed that the platinized titanium cathode resulted in high volumetric CH 4 production rates and Coulombic efficiencies. Using a graphite cathode would be more cost-effective than using the platinized titanium cathode in microbial electrochemical systems but showed an inferior performance. The microbial electrochemical system with the nickel cathode showed improvements compared to the graphite cathode. Additionally, this system with a nickel cathode demonstrated the fastest recovery during a shutdown experiment compared to the other two cathodes. Fluctuations in pH and nickel concentrations in the catholyte during power interruptions affected CH 4 production recovery in the system with the nickel cathode. This research enhances understanding of the integration of biological and electrochemical processes in microbial electrochemical systems, providing insights into electrode selection and operating strategies for effective and sustainable CH 4 production.
Recommended data elements for health registries: a survey from a German funding initiative
2024-05-27

Abstract Background The selection of data elements is a decisive task within the development of a health registry. Having the right metadata is crucial for answering the particular research questions. Furthermore, the set of data elements determines the registries’ readiness of interoperability and data reusability to a major extent. Six health registries shared and published their metadata within a German funding initiative. As one step in the direction of a common set of data elements, a selection of those metadata was evaluated with regard to their appropriateness for a broader usage. Methods Each registry was asked to contribute a 10%-selection of their data elements to an evaluation sample. The survey was set up with the online survey tool „LimeSurvey Cloud”. The registries and an accompanying project participated in the survey with one vote for each project. The data elements were offered in content groups along with the question of whether the data element is appropriate for health registries on a broader scale. The question could be answered using a Likert scale with five options. Furthermore, “no answer” was allowed. The level of agreement was assessed using weighted Cohen’s kappa and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance. Results The evaluation sample consisted of 269 data elements. With a grade of “perhaps recommendable” or higher in the mean, 169 data elements were selected. These data elements belong preferably to groups’ demography, education/occupation, medication, and nutrition. Half of the registries lost significance compared with their percentage of data elements in the evaluation sample, one remained stable. The level of concordance was adequate. Conclusions The survey revealed a set of 169 data elements recommended for health registries. When developing a registry, this set could be valuable help in selecting the metadata appropriate to answer the registry’s research questions. However, due to the high specificity of research questions, data elements beyond this set will be needed to cover the whole range of interests of a register. A broader discussion and subsequent surveys are needed to establish a common set of data elements on an international scale.
Procedure for writing multi-author consensus manuscripts: proposal and reflections on implementation
2024-05-27

A domain/field of research can often benefit from a consensus. Agreement regarding terminology and tasks used to measure specific constructs may be particularly beneficial. Our group authored such a consensus paper on measuring the Approximate Number System in young children (Krajcsi et al., 2024). In preparing that paper, we followed the procedure described here. In the presented paper, we describe a method for preparing multi-author consensus papers along with our reflections on implementing and streamlining this procedure. We hope it is useful to authors interested in initiating such collaborative projects.