bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bacterial communities varied in different Coccinella transversoguttata populations located in Tibetan plateau
Authors: Zhang Huanhuan , Yang Kun
Published: December 2023

Coccinella transversoguttata is an important predatory beetle in Asia and America. Currently, few studies have investigated C. transversoguttata in China especially in the Tibetan plateau. In this study, full–length 16s rRNA sequencing and qPCR experiment were performed on eight C. transversoguttata populations collected from Tibet to analyze their bacterial communities and bacteria abundance. In summary, our results showed that diet could significantly alter the bacterial communities in C. transversoguttata populations in the Tibetan plateau. In future, there is a need to explore the differences in microbiota among various C. transversoguttata populations collected from different locations. These results add to our understanding of the complex bacterial communities of C. transversoguttata and their utilization as potential biocontrol factors.
Cigarette smoke extract induces ferroptosis in human retinal pigment epithelial cells in Age-related macular degeneration
Authors: Peng Hui , Zhao Long , Wu Ping , Lu Jing , He Yuxia , Pan Fuying , Shu Qinxin , Wang Xing , Xie Hao , Ju Huan , Du Yong
Published: December 2023

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the three major blindness diseases. Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) dysfunction due to smoking is an essential environmental factor in the pathogenesis of AMD. Ferroptosis is a novel type of iron-dependent programmed cell death (PCD). However, the relationship between cigarette smoke extract (CSE)-induced RPE damage and ferroptosis remains unclear.
In this study, we observed that CSE induced cellular damage in a human retinal pigment epithelial cell line (ARPE-19), resulting in ferrous ion (Fe2+) accumulation, an increas in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation (LP), a reduction in GSH levels, and the inhibition of Gpx4 expression. In addition, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of in vivo and in vitro samples showed that after exposure to CSE, the mitochondria of RPE cells were wrinkled, the membrane density was increased, and the number of cristae decreased or cristae were not observed. Additionally, RPE cells were protected from damage by the ferroptosis inhibitors ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1) and liproxstatin-1 (Lip-1).
The findings of this study suggest that CSE can lead to RPE cell ferroptosis, which is associated with the pathogenesis of AMD.
Hybrid-Box Tool for Grey Wolf Optimization for Preference Ranking
Authors: Ibrahim Osman Ali Sadek , Younis Eman M. G.
Published: December 2023

Optimizing data instances play a crucial role in dealing with ranking problems. In scenarios such as ranking instances in medical diagnosis, search engine optimization, and information retrieval, there is a need for models that can rank data instances based on the significance of their features within the datasets. This paper provides a hybrid-box tool which is an efficient Grey Wolf Optimizer technique that generates ranking models by utilizing training and validation datasets. These models are then assessed using unseen test data to produce the predictive results. This tool uses a Grey Wolf Optimizer with unified lower-bound and upper-bound parameters. Furthermore, it uses seven objective functions besides the wolves' genes and their updated bounds are hybridized by six probability distributions as random number generators. This tool is a novel hybrid-box tool in the continuous optimization research domain for ranking data instances. Regardless of the hidden details during the evolving procedure, it provides the best-evolved ranking model at the end of each run. This makes the tool is hybrid between Black and White Box tools.
Effects in descendant mice after generational low dose-rate 137Cs internal exposure
Authors: Nakajima Hiroo , Ohno Mizuki , Uno Kazuko , Endo Satoru , Suzuki Masatoshi , Toki Hiroshi , Saito Tadashi
Published: December 2023

How does chronic low-dose internal exposure to Cesium-137 radiation over multiple generations affect offspring? In this study, we sought to infer the effects on humans from experiments on mice, whose spontaneous mutation rate in the next generation is very similar to that of humans. Cesium-137 water (100 Bq/mL) was provided as drinking water to A/J mouse strains for chronic, low-dose, and low-dose-rate internal exposure for more than 40 generations, following which, we examined individual effects in the exposed mice using a multi-pronged approach. Compared to the control group, DNA double-strand breaks and oxidative stress were significantly increased in the Cesium-137 group. However, no significant differences were observed between the two groups regarding chromosome aberration, micronuclei, and the whole genome sequence mutation analysis. Although no difference in carcinogenic rate was observed between the two groups, the rate of tumor growth was significantly suppressed in the Cesium-137 group. Cytokine levels in the Cesium-137 group showed a trend toward the activation of anti-tumor immunity, which likely contributed to the anti-tumor effect. For mice drinking water containing 100 Bq/mL (100,000 Bq/L) of cesium-137, no ill effects were observed on their offspring even after 25 generations of drinking.
Adaptive gap-tunable surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy
Authors: Park Kyoung-Duck , Moon Taeyoung , Joo Huitae , Koo Yeonjeong , Kang Mingu , Lee Hyeongwoo , Kim Sunghwan , Chen Cheng , Suh Yung Doug , Kim Dai-Sik
Published: December 2023

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) enables sensitive observations of the chemical properties of various materials through highly localized optical field and gap plasmon (GP) resonance attributed to metal nanogap. However, GP resonance excited by static gap-plasmonic structures is too narrow and generally not tunable. Thus, tunable or broad-spectral SERS platforms have been little studied. Here, we present an adaptive gap-tunable SERS device to selectively enhance and modulate different vibrational modes via active flexible Au nanogap, with adaptive optical control. The tunability of GP resonance is ∼1200 cm-1 by engineering gap width, facilitated by mechanical bending of a polyethylene terephthalate substrate. We confirm that the tuned GP resonance selectively enhances different Raman spectral regions of brilliant cresyl blue molecules. Additionally, we dynamically control the SERS intensity by manipulating the coupling efficiency of excited photons and electrons in the nanogap, enabled by wavefront shaping. We demonstrate simulation results with theoretical models, exhibiting the quantitative mechanical and optical properties of one-dimensional flexible nanogap and their advantage in high-speed biomedical sensing. Our work provides a unique approach for observing and controlling the enhanced chemical responses of various materials with dynamic tunability.
Assessment of two repairing techniques for a novel lithium disilicate based ceramic
Authors: Galal Rami Mohamed , Hamza Ghada Ezzat , Elhotieby Menatallah Mohamed , Eldemery Yosra
Published: December 2023

Background
This research was done to evaluate the bond strength using two repair methods with lithium disilicate ceramic.
Methods
Cojet and Clearfil repair methods were used to repair lithium disilicate ceramic. The ceramic was sliced into slices before sintering (30 samples). Vita Ambria (Vita, Zahnfabrik, Germany) ceramic was used, surface treated with the 2 repair systems then bonded to composite. Samples are stored, thermocycling was done then shear loading was done until fracture. Bond strength values were collected and statistically analyzed.
Results
showed that the Cojet surface treatment showed significantly more bond strength (14.43 ± 1.46 Mpa) than the clearfil surface treatment showing (4.16 ± 1.33) as indicated by paired t-test p ≤ 0.05.
Conclusions
bond strength between composite and the ceramic Vita Ambria is better with using Cojet surface treatment than with using the clearfil system.
Development, comparison, and internal validation prediction models to determine patients with open globe injuries using machine learning approaches
Authors: Shariati Mehrdad Motamed , Eslami Saeid , Shoeibi Nasser , Eslampoor Alireza , Sedaghat Mohammadreza , Gharaei Hamid , Zarei-Ghanavati Siamak , Derakhshan Akbar , Abrishami Majid , Abrishami Mojtaba , Hosseini Seyedeh Maryam , Rad Saeed Shokuhi , Astaneh Mohammadreza Ansari , Farimani Raheleh Mahboub
Published: December 2023

Introduction: Open globe injuries (OGI) represent a main preventable reason for blindness and visual impairment, particularly in developing countries. The goal of this study is evaluating key variables affecting the prognosis of open globe injuries and validating internally and comparing different machine learning models to estimate final visual acuity.
Material and methods: We reviewed three hundred patients with open globe injuries receiving treatment at Khatam-Al-Anbia Hospital in Iran from 2020 through 2022. We calculated univariate and multivariate regression models to assess the association of different features with visual acuity (VA) outcomes. We predicted visual acuity using ten supervised machine learning algorithms including multinomial logistic regression (MLR), support vector machines (SVM), K-nearest neighbors (KNN), naïve bayes (NB), decision tree (DT), random forest (RF), bagging (BG), adaptive boosting (ADA), artificial neural networks (ANN), and extreme gradient boosting (XGB). Accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV), recall, F-score, brier score (BS), Matthew correlation coefficient (MCC), receiver operating characteristic (AUC-ROC), and calibration plot were used to assess how well machine learning algorithms performed in predicting the final VA.
Results: The artificial neural network (ANN) model had the best accuracy to predict the final VA. The sensitivity, F1 score, PPV, accuracy, and MCC of the ANN model were 0.81, 0.85, 0.89, 0.93, and 0.81, respectively. In addition, the estimated AUC-ROC and AUR-PRC of the ANN model for OGI patients were 0.96 and 0.91, respectively. The brier score and calibration log-loss for the ANN model was 0.201 and 0.232, respectively.
Conclusion: As classic and ensemble ML models were compared, results shows that the ANN model was the best. As a result, the framework that has been presented may be regarded as a good substitute for predicting the final VA in OGI patients. Excellent predictive accuracy was shown by the open globe injury model developed in this study, which should be helpful to provide clinical advice to patients and making clinical decisions concerning the management of open globe injuries.
All code resource is freely available at https://github.com/rahi60/OGIpatientFinalVA.git
Thermal and Microstructural Analysis of Intersections Manufactured by Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM)
Authors: Sousa Bruno Maciel , Coelho Fagner Guilherme Ferreira , Júnior Givan Martins Macedo , de Oliveira Hellen Cristine Prata , Silva Nilo Nogueira da
Published: December 2023

The Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) stands out in manufacturing metallic structures due to its great potential for application in industry for automated production of parts with large dimensions and considerable geometric complexity. Thus, this work studied the thermal behavior of the material deposited (AWS ER80S-G) in an intersection and its influence on the microstructure. Thermal analysis showed that the cooling rate at the intersection is a little lower than that of a flat wall. The evaluation of the cooling curves in a CCT diagram of the steel indicated the microstructure formed, which was later confirmed by a metallographic analysis. The microstructure was quite similar between the intersection and the flat wall, but there was a significant difference in the transverse direction of deposition, ranging from the morphology of acicular grains at the base and top to equiaxed grains in the intermediate region (ASTM size 9). This difference in microstructure was significant for the hardness of the material according to the deposited layer, however, there were few differences between the intersection and the flat wall. Therefore, there were observed no significant differences between these regions concerning the microstructure or cooling rate, with the variances observed in the hardness being more significant only in the last layers deposited.
Noninvasive models to diagnose liver histology in HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B
Authors: Ye Yamei , Zhou Lina , Sun Fang , Yang Wenyang , Lin Chun , Pan Chen , Lin Yong
Published: December 2023

Introduction and objectives: Noninvasive, practical, and convenient means of assessment of liver histology in China are greatly needed.This research was to develop precise non-invasive tests to assess the histological activity grade and the degree of fibrosis.
Patients and Methods: We included 141 patients with HBeAg-negative chronic hepatitis B patient who was treatment-naive and underwent liver biopsy, whose ALT was below twice the normal upper limit (ULN). Logistic regression analysis was performed, noninvasive prediction models were established to diagnose the degree of liver inflammatory and fibrosis.
Results: The independent risk factors of moderate or severe inflammation were aspartate aminotransferase(AST) and Prealbumin. Based on the binary sequential logistic analysis,an API model consists of AST and PA is proposed, and the AUROC value was 0.789 (95%CI=0.682-0.896). AST, Plt, HBsAg(Log10) group were independent risk factors of significant fibrosis. Based on the binary sequential logistic analysis, a HAPI model consists of AST, Plt, HBsAg(Log10) group is proposed,with the AUROC of 0.825,and the optimum cut-off, the sensitivity and the specificity were 0.290, 66.67% and 91.49%., respectively. The AUROC of HAPI in predicting significant fibrosis were greater than that of AST(0.669, 95%CI=0.571-0.767, p=0.0014) , Plt(0.745, 95%CI=0.660-0.830, p=0.0216) and FIB-4(0.727, 95%CI=0.637-0.816, p=0.0112).
Conclusions: The API and HAPI should become convenient and noninvasive markers to predict the degree of ncerosis, inflammation and fibrosis in HBsAg-negative chronic hepatitis B infection whose ALT was lower than 2 ULN.
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy or adjuvant chemotherapy is similarly beneficial for five-year overall survival in locally advanced gastric cancer patients
Authors: Kumar Sah Birendra , Zhenjia Yu , Sheng Lu , Yanan Zheng , Zhenglun Zhu , Jian Li , Chen Li , Min Yan , Zhenggang Zhu
Published: December 2023

Background: Different types of neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens have been compared for gastric cancer, mostly in terms of radiological downgrading or pathological tumor regression; however, no large-scale multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT) has conducted a head-to-head comparison of the overall survival rate between perioperative or neoadjuvant chemotherapy(NAC) and postoperative or adjuvant chemotherapy(AC). We explored whether the five-year overall survival rate was greater in patients who received perioperative chemotherapy plus surgery than in those who underwent surgery first and then underwent postoperative chemotherapy.
Methods: Altogether, 77 patients with a clinical diagnosis of cTNM stage III were included. Five-year overall survival (OS) rates were compared between patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus surgery (NAC) and those who underwent surgery first plus adjuvant chemotherapy (AC). Propensity score matching was used to adjust for disparity between the two groups. A Kaplan-Meier plot was created for survival analysis, and the log-rank method was used to compare the differences in OS.
Results: A total of 34 patients were in the NAC and 43 patients were in the AC group, respectively. There was no significant difference in age (median, 64 vs. 66 years), cTNM staging, or extent of gastrectomy between the two groups (p<0.05). The median follow-up time was 58 months (range: 53-65 months). The five-year overall survival (OS) rates for patients in the NAC and AC groups were 61.8% and 73.5%, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups in the five-year overall survival rates (p>0.05). There was no significant difference in the severity of postoperative complications between the two groups (p>0.05).
Conclusions: There was no significant difference in the five-year overall survival rate between patients who underwent perioperative chemotherapy plus surgery and those who underwent surgery plus postoperative chemotherapy alone. A well-controlled prospective study is necessary to confirm whether perioperative chemotherapy is superior to postoperative chemotherapy in patients with GC.
Biological toxicity of sulfamethoxazole in aquatic ecosystem on adult zebrafish (Danio rerio)
Authors: Zhou Jie , Yun Xiao , Wang Jiting , Li Qi , Wang Yanli , Zhang Wenjing , Fan Zhicheng
Published: December 2023

The pollution of antibiotics in the water has also become a hot topic in recent years, especially the pollution of sulfonamide antibiotics, which seriously affects the development and growth of aquatic organisms. This study evaluated the impacts of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) on antioxidant, immune, histopathological dynamic changes, and gut microbiota of zebrafish. SMX was carried out five groups: 0 (C), 3 mg/L (T3), 6 mg/L (T6), 12 mg/L (T12), and 24 mg/L (T24), with 5 replicates per group for an 8-weeks chronic toxicity test. It was found that SMX is considered to have low toxicity to adult zebrafish. SMX with the concentration not higher than 24 mg/L has no obvious inhibitory effect on the growth of fish. Under different concentrations of SMX stress, oxidative damage and immune system disorder were caused to the liver and gill, with the 12 and 24 mg/L concentration being the most significant. At the same time, it also causes varying degrees of pathological changes in both intestinal and liver tissues. As the concentration of SMX increases, the composition and abundance of the gut microbiota in zebrafish significantly decrease.
Long-term health-related quality of life and mental health in patients with immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura
Authors: Mulas Olga , Efficace Fabio , Costa Alessandro , Baldi Thomas , Zerbini Filippo , Mantovani Daniela , Morelli Emanuela , Perra Daniela , Nasa Giorgio La , Caocci Giovanni
Published: December 2023

Immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP) is a rare and potentially life-threatening disorder. Treatment advances have lowered morbidity rates, but past acute events can still cause long-term consequences, reducing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and determining cognitive impairment, anxiety, and depression. We aimed to investigate these aspects and the role of caplacizumab and rituximab: 39 patients were evaluated using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), the FACIT-Fatigue, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Functional Assessment in Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function questionnaires. The median age at study inclusion was 50 years (IQR 38–60), and the median follow-up from diagnosis was 97 months (IQR 14–182); 82% of patients were female, and 36% had one or more recurrences. Caplacizumab was administered in 16 patients (41%) as well as rituximab. ITTP patients reported lower physical and mental HRQoL scores compared to the general population. No differences in physical or mental domains were observed between patients treated or not with caplacizumab, while those who received rituximab reported lower scores in mental health. Neurological impairment at diagnosis correlated with worse fatigue. The majority of patients (72%) reported anxiety or depression (82%). iTTP had a significant impact on the long-term cognitive function, fatigue, depression, and anxiety levels of patients, with a negative effect on their HRQoL. Our findings underscore the need to pay special attention to patients’ long-term physical and mental health, regardless of the medical treatments received.
Radiomics Model Building from Multiparametric MRI to Predict Ki-67 Expression in Patients with Primary Central Nervous System Lymphomas: A Multicenter Study
Authors: Shen Yelong , Wu Si Yu , Wu Yanan , Cui Chao , Li Haiou , Yang Shuang , Liu Xuejun , Chen Xingzhi , Huang Chencui , Wang Ximing
Published: December 2023

Objectives To examine the correlation of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), diffusion weighted imaging (DWI), and T1 contrast enhanced (T1-CE) with Ki-67 in primary central nervous system lymphomas (PCNSL). And to assess the diagnostic performance of MRI radiomics-based machine-learning algorithms in differentiating the high-proliferation and low-proliferation group of PCNSL.Methods 83 patients with PCNSL were included in this retrospective study. ADC, DWI and T1-CE sequences were collected and their correlation with Ki-67 was examined using Spearman’s correlation analyses. The radiomics features were extracted respectively, and the features were screened by machine learning algorithm and statistical method. Radiomics models of nine different sequence permutations were constructed. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC AUC) was used to evaluate the predictive performance of all models. Delong test was utilised to compare the differences of models.Results Relative mean apparent diffusion coefficient (rADCmean) (ρ=-0.354, p = 0.019), relative mean diffusion weighted imaging (rDWImean) (b = 1000) (ρ = 0.273, p = 0.013) and relative mean T1 contrast enhancement (rT1-CEmean) (ρ = 0.385, p = 0.001) was significantly correlated with Ki-67. Interobserver agreements between the two radiologists were almost perfect for all parameters (rADCmean ICC = 0.978, 95%CI 0.966–0.986; rDWImean (b = 1000) ICC = 0.931, 95% CI 0.895–0.955; rT1-CEmean ICC = 0.969, 95% CI 0.953–0.980). The best prediction model in our study used a combination of ADC, DWI, and T1-CE achieving the highest AUC of 0.869, while the second ranked model used ADC and DWI, achieving AUC of 0.828.Conclusion rDWImean, rADCmean and rT1-CEmean was correlated with Ki-67. The radiomics model based on MRI sequences combined is promising to distinguish low proliferation PCNSL from high proliferation PCNSL.
Exploring the Impact of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) on the Quality of Life of Lebanese Women andUnraveling the Determinants: A FertiQoL Questionnaire Validation
Authors: Silva Silva , Souaid Suzanne Maroun , salameh Pascale
Published: December 2023

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Infertility is a growing global concern, and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) has emerged as a popular solution. Women receiving treatment for infertility deal with a range of physical and psychological challenges. However, there is limited understanding of the specific factors that impact their quality of life. This study looked at the current state of fertility quality of life among Lebanese women undergoing IVF and analyzed the factors that influence it.
METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from June to September 2020 among women undergoing IVF all over Lebanon. The survey collected demographic characteristics and treatment data and included the fertility quality of life scale (FertiQoL), The couple’s satisfaction Index (CSI-4), the wellbeing index (WHO-5), and the patient-doctor relationship questionnaire (PDRQ-9). General Linear Model was used to explore the predictors of fertility quality of life.
RESULTS: In total, 403 women completed the survey. Participants had a mean of total FertiQoL score of 61.98 (SD = 21.15). The mean CSI-4 and WHO-5 scores were 10.15 (SD = 5.76) and 11.15 (SD = 6.56), respectively. The mean PDRQ-9 score was 29.33 (SD = 8.5). The General Linear Model showed that conceiving duration failure, no children status, facing a stigma, being underweight, and having no income were risk factors for diminished fertility quality of life. While male factor infertility, being a sedentary office worker and having religious or cultural beliefs that influence the perspective on IVF positively influenced the total score. CSI-4 and WHO-5 score had also a positive significant association with FertiQol.
CONCLUSION: Lebanese women undergoing IVF have relatively acceptable quality of life. This study in Lebanon revealed that women's quality of life depends on various factors, and the validated FertiQoL measurement tool has demonstrated its reliability, with Cronbach’s alpha ranging from 0.949. Further studies with a larger sample size are necessary to validate our results and gain deeper insights.
Intensity-modulated radiotherapy prevents lasting damage to salivary glands but not oral mucositis.
Authors: Agurto Maria Gonzalez , Carpenter Guy , Bozorgi Sophie , Koller Garrit , Fenlon Michael , Warburton Fiona , Bruce Kenneth , Burke Mary , Banerjee Avijit
Published: December 2023

Objective: This study aimed to assess the salivary protein composition variations in head and neck cancer patients (HNC) undergoing Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) and examined the correlation with the clinical onset/severity of oral mucositis (OM).
Methods
Saliva samples/clinical data were obtained from 40 HNC patients pre-IMRT(T0) and post-IMRT (T1=6m, T2=12m) treated at Guy’s Hospital (ethics approval/consent).
Salivary flow rate (SFR), protein concentration (TPC) and secretion rate (TPSR) were determined from unstimulated, whole-mouth saliva samples and compared to pre-treatment levels. Clinical parameters/side effects such as OM was assessed, salivary proteins were quantified using BCA assay, SDS-PAGE/PAS-staining determined MUC5B and MUC7, ELISA assays: IgA, cystatin S and albumin; α-amylase activity by kinetic assays.
Results
95 % patients experienced OM during IMRTwith 33 reaching grade 2&3. Furthermore, 6 months post-IMRT, a significant reduction, in SFR, TPSR, α-amylase and cystatin S compared with baseline. Remarkably IMRT did not significantly alter MUC5B/MUC7, and IgA secretion rates at any timepoint. Moreover, there were significant/negative correlations between IgA concentration at T0 with OM onset/severity during the cancer treatment, (p = 0.006).
Conclusion
This study reveals that IMRT prevents damage to salivary glands but does not prevent OM, suggesting that salivary mucins may not be involved in the onset /severity of OM.
Multimodal imaging based on MRI to distinguish benign and malignant tongue tumors and T stage
Authors: Jiang Huaxiang , Gong Lianggeng , Qin Zishun
Published: December 2023

Background: The differentiation of benign and malignant tumors and the stage of malignant tumors is very important to determine the treatment plan and evaluate the prognosis of tumor patients. At present, the application of MRI multimodal imaging to the accurate diagnosis of tongue tumors is not sufficient.
Objective: To construct an optimal prediction model based on MRI multimodal imaging to distinguish benign and malignant tongue tumors and T-stage.
Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed 124 patients (100 malignant and 24 benign) with tongue tumors who underwent enhanced MRI scans before surgery from January 2017 to December 2022.The surgical tissue was confirmed by pathological examination and was included in the predictive T stage cohort study, which classified T1 and T2 as T1-2 and T3 and T4 as T3-4. The radiomic features were extracted by cross-sectional T2-weighted imaging (T2), weighted diffusion imaging (DWI) and enhanced T1-weighted imaging (CET1).After reduction and selection, support vector machine (SVM) and logistic regression (LR) were used to construct the radiomics model. The clinical model was established by screening independent risk factors using single multifactor analysis. Combined with radiomics and clinical features, a combined model was constructed and a nomogram was constructed. Using ROC curve analysis to evaluate performance compare model, using decision curve analysis (DCA) decisioncurveanalysis, comparative evaluation the clinical value of each model.
Results: In the prediction of benign and malignant tongue tumors, the AUC values of the imaging model training set were: CET1 was 0.885, T2 was 0.870, DWI was 0.827, and ALL was 0.993.The test set AUC was 0.720 for CET1, 0.778 for T2, 0.724 for DWI, and 0.793 for ALL. AUC value of clinical omics model: training set 0.885, test set 0.750; AUC value of the columnium: training set 0.889, test set 0.938.In the identification of T stage of tongue cancer, the AUC values of the training set were: CET1 0.815, T2 0.822, DWI 0.883, Clinic 0.566, nomogram 0.932, and the AUC values of the test set were: CET1 is 0.616, T2 is 0.505, DWI is 0.343, Clinic is 0.611, nomogram is 0.646.
Conclusion: The nomogram constructed with the combination of multi-modal imaging features and clinical features is better than the single mode or single clinical model in differentiating the benign and malignant and T stage of tongue tumors. The multi-modal imaging model based on MRI can provide a non-invasive and effective aid for clinical decision-making of tongue tumors, and provide a valuable reference for clinicians in individual clinical decision-making system.
The addition of bortezomib to rituximab, high-dose cytarabine and dexamethasone in relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma - a randomized, open-label phase III trial of the European mantle cell lymphoma network
Authors: Fischer Luca , Jiang Linmiao , Dürig Jan , Schmidt Christian , Stilgenbauer Stephan , Bouabdallah Krimo , Solal-Celigny Philippe , Scholz Christian , Feugier Pierre , de Wit Maike , Trappe Ralf , Hallek Michael , Graeven Ullrich , Hänel Mathias , Hoffmann Martin , DELWAIL Vincent , Macro Margaret , Greiner Jochen , Giagounidis Aristoteles , Dargel Beate , Durot Eric , Foussard Charles , Silkenstedt Elisabeth , Weigert Oliver , Pott Christiane , Klapper Wolfram , Hiddemann Wolfgang , Unterhalt Michael , Hoster Eva , Ribrag Vincent , Dreyling Martin
Published: December 2023

The therapy of relapsed or refractory (r/r) mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) patients remains a major clinical challenge to date. We conducted a randomized, open-label, parallel-group phase-III trial hypothesizing superior efficacy of rituximab, high-dose cytarabine and dexamethasone with bortezomib (R-HAD+B) versus without (R-HAD) in r/r MCL ineligible for or relapsed after autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). Primary endpoint was time to treatment failure (TTF), secondary endpoints included response rates, progression free survival, overall survival, and safety.
128 of 175 planned patients were randomized to R-HAD+B (n=64) or R-HAD (n=64). Median TTF was 12 vs. 2.6 months (p=0.045, MIPI-adjusted HR 0.69; 95%CI 0.47-1.02). Overall and complete response rates were 63 vs. 45% (p=0.049) and 42 vs. 19% (p=0.0062). A significant treatment effect was seen in the subgroup of patients >65 years (aHR 0.48, 0.29-0.79) and without previous ASCT (aHR 0.52, 0.28-0.96). Toxicity was mostly hematological and attributable to the chemotherapeutic backbone. Grade ≥3 Leukocytopenia and lymphocytopenia were more common in R-HAD+B without differences in severe infections between both arms.
Bortezomib in combination with chemotherapy can be effective in r/r MCL and should be evaluated further as a therapeutic option, especially if therapy with BTK inhibitors is not an option. Trial registration: NCT01449344.
Bulk segregant analysis of tomato to identify polymorphism associated with tomato-Phytoplasma solani interaction using RNA-sequencing data
Authors: Sarwar Muhammad Aqeel , Khan Sultan Habibullah , Faridi Rabia , Jamil Mahnoor , Norman David J. , Ali Gul Shad , Afzal Zunaira
Published: December 2023

Background
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a globally significant crop that faces challenges from various pathogens, including Phytoplasma solani. Phytoplasmas are obligate parasitic bacteria that disrupt plant metabolism and manipulate host defenses. Our current understanding of tomato-Phytoplasma solani interaction is very limited and currently nothing is known at the whole genome or transcriptome level. Bulk segregant analysis (BSA) is a powerful method for identifying markers linked to target genes for desired traits. BSR-seq combines BSA with RNA-seq, allows the identification of SNP markers based on transcriptome data.
Results
In this study, we have analyzed and compared the transcriptome of a resistant and a susceptible wild tomato accession and their healthy and diseased F2 bulks in response to P. solani infection using the RNA-seq technology. Variant analysis through PyBSASeq pipeline detected 145142 SNPs among bulks and an average of 101 SNPs per sliding window were found. Five, three and one; three regions on chromosome 1, 7, 8 and 9 respectively, exhibited statistical significance for the G-test statistic in the healthy F2 bulk. We have identified 1305 and 173 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in resistant vs susceptible comparison of parent and bulk samples respectively. Functional annotation of DEGs revealed substantial transcriptional reprogramming of diverse physiological and cellular processes, particularly the response to stimulus and response to bacterium upon P. solani treatment. By comparison of differential expression and variant analysis, two genes were found linked to resistance development in tomato against P. solani.
Conclusion
The BSR-seq analysis provided valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms of tomato-P. solani interactions. Two candidate genes, Solyc01g079140 and Solyc07g017980 were found linked to the P. solani infection in tomatoes. Our results lay out a strong foundation for future studies aimed at improving genetic resistance of tomato cultivars against Phytoplasma solani.
Correlation between D-dimer levels and unfavorable outcomes in patients with spontaneous supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage after surgery
Authors: Xiao ZhenKun , Mao Xingyu , Liang RiChu , Yang Yong-Mei , Peng Fei , Liu Ai-Hua , Duan Yong-Hong
Published: December 2023

D-dimer is associated with poor prognosis in hemorrhagic stroke. We determined correlations between poor prognosis and D-dimer in spontaneous supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage (SSTICH). A total of 557 patients with SSTICH were enrolled and categorized into two subgroups according to the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score: favorable (0–2) and unfavorable (3–5) outcomes. D-dimer levels were measured within 24 hours and quantified at admission, at post-surgery, and during hospitalization until discharge (mean and peak). A binary logistic regression model was constructed based on between-group differences. The risk of poor prognosis after surgery was 21.874-fold higher with admission D-dimer levels ≥ 2.80 mg/L than < 0.65 mg/L (odds ratio [OR], 21.874; 95% confidence interval [CI], 10.353–46.214; P < 0.001). Postoperative mean D-dimer levels ≥ 6.31 mg/L incurred a 7.109-fold higher risk of poor prognosis (OR, 7.109; 95% CI, 3.623–13.95; P < 0.001). Patients with overall mean D-dimer levels ≥ 5.85 mg/L had a 8.164-fold higher risk of poor prognosis (OR, 8.164; 95% CI, 4.152–16.054; P < 0.001). The highest D-dimer level ≥ 10 mg/L posed a 5.798-fold higher risk of poor prognosis (OR, 5.798; 95% CI, 3.64–13.14; P < 0.001). Elevated D-dimer levels independently predict postoperative unfavorable prognosis in patients with SSTICH, and the risk increases with higher D-dimer levels.
Risk stratification based on immune signature and prediction of immune checkpoint inhibitor’s efficacy for bladder urothelial carcinoma
Authors: Ma Lu , Zhao Shutian , Xu An , Wang Zhou , Qian Haining
Published: December 2023

Purpose：To investigate the impact of the tumor immune microenvironment on survival and response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA).
Materials and Methods: We constructed a prognostic immune signature based on the TCGA dataset and verified its predictive accuracy on both internal and total data sets. Firstly, we screened immune genes associated with prognosis based on univariate Cox risk regression analysis. Secondly, LASSO model is used for variable selection and regularization to avoid over-fitting. Thirdly, we also carried out immune status or immunophenoscore (IPS) analysis. Immune genes used in constructing a immune-related multivariate Cox risk regression analysis, and univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis is used to evaluate the performance of high-risk and low-risk groups in tumor mutation load, patients' response to ICI treatment, tumor infiltrating lymphocytes and other aspects.
Results: This immunomarker consists of 6 immune-related genes, which we confirmed to be an independent prognostic element for BLCA patients. We found that patients in the high-risk group had poorer overall survival, while patients in the low-risk group had better overall survival. Although the difference was not significant, high-risk score patients had fewer mast cell rest and neutrophils, and more memory activation of b cell infants and t cell CD4, which was closely associated with clinical outcome. In addition, the tumor mutational burden (TMB) was significantly reduced in the low-risk group. When using IPS as a substitute for ICI response, we found that patients with low-risk scores had significantly higher IPS.
Conclusion: Our study concluded that 6 immune-related genes signature may be related to prognosis and prediction of ICI treatment, but further verification is needed.
A Prediction of Hepatocellular Carcinoma-Associated Cachexia: The Value of a Nomogram Based on Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Serum Characterisitcs
Authors: Li Xinxiang , Liu Bing , Zhao Yufei , Jiang Yang , Mao Hui , Peng Xingui
Published: December 2023

Background and Objectives:
About 50.1% of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients are present with cachexia. Therefore, it remains urgent regarding an early detection of cachexia in HCC patients. This study reported the predictive value of a nomogram based on the clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters in diagnosing cachexia in HCC patients.
Materials and Methods
A retrospective two-center study recruited the pretreatment clinical and MRI data of 489 HCC patients undergoing contrast-enhanced abdominal MRI. The data were divided into three cohorts for training and internal and external validation cohorts. Cancer-associated cachexia was initially diagnosed as weight loss > 5% over 6 months without diet control, or body mass index < 20 kg/m2 and weight loss > 2%. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify independent variables associated with cachexia in the training cohort used to build the nomogram. Area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and calibration curve were used to evaluate nomogram performance.
Results
The independent factors for HCC-associated cachexia included clinical characteristics (serum α-fetoprotein level > 100 ng/mL and serum carbohydrate antigen 19 − 9 level > 37 U/mL) and MRI findings (tumor size > 5 cm, intralesional fat, portal vein tumor thrombus, and intratumoral artery). The nomogram constructed with these variables showed good predictive performance with AUC of 0.83 (training cohort), 0.79 (internal validation cohort), and 0.85 (external validation cohort), and a satisfactory consistency between prediction and observation on the calibration curve in all cohorts.
Conclusion
The proposed multivariable nomogram suggested good performance in predicting the risk of cachexia in HCC patients.
Causal Effect of Physical Activity on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study
Authors: Zhou Jiaqi , Fei Chunyuan , Zhang Yingqing
Published: December 2023

Background: The relationship between physical activity (PA) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has remained unclear. In our study, we aimed to assess the causal effect of PA on COPD through a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study.
Methods: Genetic instruments associated with PA were derived from a meta-analysis of large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) involving 377,234 individuals of European ancestry from the United Kingdom Biobank and the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. The outcome data were obtained from the FinnGen biobank. To estimate the causal relationship, we employed inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method, MR-Egger, and weighted-median method. Additionally, we conducted Cochran's Q test, MR-Egger regression, Mendelian Randomization Pleiotropy RESidual Sum and Outlier (MR-PRESSO) and leave-one-out analysis to assess potential pleiotropy effects.
Results: Our analysis revealed that genetically predicted strenuous sports or other exercises (SSOE) reduced the risk of COPD (OR=0.06, 95%CI 0.008 - 0.47, P= 0.007) based on the IVW method. However, we did not observe any causal relationship between other phenotypes of PA and COPD. The assessment of heterogeneity and pleiotropy provided further support for the robustness and validity of these MR results.
Conclusions: Based on our findings, it can be concluded that SSOE is causally associated with a reduced risk of COPD in individuals of European ancestry. However, we did not observe any causal relationship between other phenotypes of PA and COPD.
A new recognition of the binding of cellulose fibrils in papermaking by probing interaction between nanocellulose and cationic hemicellulose
Authors: LAN Xingyu , Fu Shiyu , Kong Yi
Published: December 2023

The paper industry is constantly seeking innovative ways to improve paper quality, increase process efficiency and reduce environmental impact. The unique properties of cationic modification of hemicellulose provide an opportunity to achieve these goals. Herein, eucalyptus hemicellulose was modified with quaternary ammonium groups to yield cationic hemicellulose (CH), which was used to elaborate structural and functional interactions between CH and cellulose nanofibrils (CNF). These interactions were quantitatively monitored by a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D). We empirically studied bonding motifs between CNF and hemicellulose by forming films. The degree of substitution (DS) of CH was made between 0.095 and 0.254 by varying the molar ratio of the reaction, leading to a gamut of positive charges in hemicellulose. The adsorption of CH to a CNF surface was related to electrostatic interactions. The high DS of CH had higher adsorption rate and larger adsorption capacity within the CNF-surface, while CH as a reinforcing agent significantly increased the tensile strength of the film by hydrogen bonding, which was 71% higher than that of unmodified hemicellulose. The strong binding between CH and nanocellulose may highlight a platform to develop paper additives and nanocellulose composites for high-value applications.
WITHDRAWN: An Experiment of Moroccan Dialect speech recognition in noisy environments using PocketSphinx
Authors: OUISAADANE A. , SAFI S. , FRIKEL M.
Published: December 2023

In this study, we introduce an experimental framework for Moroccan Dialect speech recognition under various additive noise conditions using the open-source tool PocketSphinx. We curated a corpus comprising the ten most commonly used greetings in the Moroccan dialect, extracted from telephone conversations. This corpus was recorded with 60 speakers (30 males and 30 females). Each speaker articulated each expression three times in natural and noisy conditions. Feature extraction utilized Mel Scale Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC), and acoustic modeling, based on monophony, was implemented using Hidden Markov Models (HMM). While automatic speech recognition systems demonstrate commendable performance in noise-free conditions, their efficacy noticeably diminishes in the presence of noise.
Deep Learning for Automated Measurement of Total Cardiac Volume for Heart Transplantation Size Matching
Authors: Szugye Nicholas A. , Mahalingam Neeraja , Somasundaram Elanchezhian , Villa Chet , Segala Jim , Segala Michael , Zafar Farhan , Morales David L.S. , Moore Ryan A.
Published: December 2023

Background
Total Cardiac Volume (TCV) based size matching using Computed Tomography (CT) is a novel technique to compare donor and recipient heart size in pediatric heart transplant that may increase overall utilization of available grafts. TCV requires manual segmentation, which limits its widespread use due to time and specialized software and training needed for segmentation.
Objective
This study aims to determine the accuracy of a Deep Learning (DL) approach using 3-dimensional Convolutional Neural Networks (3D-CNN) to calculate TCV, with the clinical aim of enabling fast and accurate TCV use at all transplant centers.
Materials and Methods
Ground truth TCV was segmented on CT scans of subjects aged 0–30 years, identified retrospectively. Ground truth segmentation masks were used to train and test a custom 3D-CNN model consisting of a Dense-Net architecture in combination with residual blocks of ResNet architecture.
Results
The model was trained on a cohort of 270 subjects and a validation cohort of 44 subjects (36 normal, 8 heart disease retained for model testing). The average Dice similarity coefficient of the validation cohort was 0.94 ± 0.03 (range 0.84–0.97). The mean absolute percent error of TCV estimation was 5.5%. There is no significant association between model accuracy and subject age, weight, or height. DL-TCV was on average more accurate for normal hearts than those listed for transplant (mean absolute percent error 4.5 ± 3.9 vs. 10.5 ± 8.5, p = 0.08).
Conclusion
A deep learning based 3D-CNN model can provide accurate automatic measurement of TCV from CT images.
Numerical Investigations of Trailing Edge Morphing at Low to Moderate Reynolds Number
Authors: Kumawat Ankit , Ghosh Santanu
Published: December 2023

This study compares the effects of continuous trailing edge camber morphing and a hinged flap, on the aerodynamic performance of two symmetric airfoils: NACA0012 airfoil and the relatively thin NACA0003 airfoil, for a chord-based Reynolds number range of 104 to 106 , which represents the flight regime of micro aerial vehicles (MAVs). As a low-to-moderate Reynolds number regime has been considered in this study, the numerical simulations were performed using a Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes solver with a local correlation-based one-equation transition model. Results showed that use of camber morphing in lieu of hinged flap resulted in higher lift for both the NACA airfoils in almost all cases considered. Investigations of surface pressure coefficient revealed that delayed pressure recovery on both the suction and pressure surfaces near the trailing edge is primarily responsible for the production of higher lift for the airfoil with the continuous morphed trailing edge. Further, although use of continuous camber morphing of the trailing edge increases drag compared to the use of hinged flap, the aerodynamic efficiency is very similar for both the configurations. It was also observed that for a moderate angle of attack, the use of camber morphing in lieu of a hinged flap delayed trailing-edge flow separation in NACA0012 airfoil.
TM- and TE-polarization-selective narrowband perfect absorber for near-ultraviolet light using Fano resonance in an aluminum nanohole array structure
Authors: Akatsuka Karen , Hiramatsu Kazumasa , Motogaito Atsushi
Published: December 2023

A wavelength- and polarization-selective absorber for near-ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 375 nm was theoretically designed and experimentally verified. Furthermore, the absorption mechanism was elucidated using electromagnetic field analysis. The absorber developed in this study employs an Al nanohole array structure, which has a double-layer, two-dimensional metal nano-periodic structure. This absorber selectively absorbs near-ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 375 nm and achieves a maximum absorption rate of over 90% for TM polarization at the angle of incidence 10.8o. This absorption was confirmed to be due to Fano resonance originating from the coupling between localized surface plasmon generated at the nanohole edges and propagating surface plasmon resonance along the z-axis direction. Furthermore, this absorber can selectively and completely absorb not only TM- but also TE-polarized light under conditions such as varying angle of incidence and azimuth. The perfect absorption of TE polarization was found at the angle of incidence 14.5o and that of azimuth 45o due to the combined surface plasmon resonance of the two kinds of TM polarization. This method is expected to be applied as an intermediate optical element in near-ultraviolet light, such as optical switching, and in ultraviolet optical communications.