bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PYloroplasty versus No Intervention in GAstric REmnant REconstruction after Oesophagectomy: study protocol for the PYNI-GAREREO randomized controlled trial
Authors: Okada Naoya , Kinoshita Yoshihiro , Nishihara Shoji , Kurotaki Takuma , Sato Aya , Kimura Koutato , Kushiya Hiroki , Umemoto Kazufumi , Furukawa Shotaro , Yamabuki Takumi , Takada Minoru , Kato Kentaro , Yoshiyasu Ambo , Nakamura Fumitaka
Published: May 2022

BackgroundAfter esophagectomy for esophageal and esophagogastric cancer, more than half of patients have lost >10% of their body weight at 12 months. In most cases, the gastric remnant is used for reconstruction after esophagectomy. One of the most serious nutritional complications of this technique is delayed gastric emptying caused by gastric remnant mobilization and denervation of the vagus nerve. The aim of the PYloroplasty versus No Intervention in GAstric REmnant REconstruction after Oesophagectomy (PYNI-GAREREO) trial is to analyze the clinical outcome of modified Horsley pyloroplasty (mH-P) as a method of preventing delayed gastric emptying.MethodsThe PYNI-GAREREO trial is designed as an open randomized, single-center superiority trial. Patients will be randomly allocated to undergo gastric remnant reconstruction with mH-P (intervention group) or no intervention (control group) in parallel groups. All patients with esophageal cancer or esophagogastric cancer planning to undergo curative minimally invasive esophagectomy will be considered for inclusion. A total of 140 patients will be included in the study and randomized between the groups in a 1:1 ratio. The primary outcome is the nutritional status, and the secondary outcomes are postoperative complications, functional outcome, and quality of life.DiscussionWe hypothesize that mH-P after minimally invasive esophagectomy more effectively maintains patients’ nutritional status than no pyloroplasty.Trial registrationThis trial has been registered in the UMIN Clinical Trials Registry as UMIN000045104 (Registered on 25 August 2021).
Dose Finding and Positioning for Definitive Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy of Breast Cancer
Authors: Singh Shubeen , Krayenbuehl Jérôme , Singh Akash Kumar , Jankowski Cindy , Goldschmidt Philipp , Budach Wilfried , Ciernik Ilja
Published: May 2022

Background: Partial breast irradiation (PBI) harbors the potential for definitive local tumor control. The optimal dose to the target and the maximal tolerated doses (MTD) of the surrounding tissues are unknown. In this cohort planning study, we assess the maximal dose to the target while keeping the dose to the surrounding organs at risk within their tolerance.Patients and Methods: Planning computed tomography scans of 22 patients with a history of pulmonary or cardiac risk factors and left-sided pT1c pN0/pN1a M0 breast cancer were treated with adjuvant RT in either position acccording to better dose distribution to lung or heart. Plans were calculated, generating a planning target volume (PTV) suitable for PBI in five fractions according to guidelines of the American Society for Radiation Oncology. Dose was escalated starting with 6 Gy daily. MTD was defined when the dose reached a constraint of a neighboring organ based on recommendations of the American Association for Physics in Medicine.Results: The mean MTD was 45.9 Gy ± 3.9 Gy (range 38.8 - 53.9) in supine and 46.1 Gy ± 3.2 Gy (range 37,3 - 53.9) in prone position, respectively (p>0.05). In 95% of patients, the MTD was ≥ 44.3 Gy in supine and ≥ 44.8 Gy in prone position, respectively. Fat tissue was the dose limiting structure for 11 of 22 patients in supine and 15 of 22 in prone position. Dmax to the fat tissue reached 40.0 Gy (±3.3 Gy) in both supine and prone position (p=0.3). Skin was the dose limiting structure in 7 of 22 patients in supine and in 6 of 22 in prone position. Dmax to the skin was 30.5 Gy (±7.4 Gy) in supine and 31.0 Gy (±7.0 Gy) in prone position (p= 0.8). Ribs were dose limiting in 4 of 22 patients in supine and in 1 of 22 in prone position. Dmax to the ribs was 31.4 Gy (±9.5 Gy) in supine and 21.4 Gy (±11.0 Gy) in prone position (p <0.01). Dmax to the intraventricular artery (IVA) was 3.4 Gy (±3.1 Gy) in supine and 7.5 Gy (±5.7 Gy) in prone position (p<0.01). Conclusion: 37.5 Gy in five fractions given to the planning target volume appears to be safe. Escalating the dose to the visible tumor to 45 Gy in five fractions is recommended for further testing in trials. Prone positioning is advised for patients with tumors close to the ribs.
A Prognostic Necroptosis-Related lncRNA Signature to Predict the Immune Response and Drug Sensitivity of Bladder Cancer
Authors: Tian Chao , Chen Guiliu , Cao Zhengguo
Published: May 2022

Background: Patients with bladder cancer (BLCA), especially those with advanced stage cancer, have a short life span; thus, new drugs need to be developed urgently to improve the situation. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are considered regulatory targets for cancer, including BLCA. Therefore, we constructed a promising signature of lncRNAs related to necroptosis and further predicted the immune response and sensitivity of drugs. Methods: We downloaded the transcriptome and clinical data for BLCA from the Cancer Genome Atlas（TCGA）. Necroptosis related to lncRNAs (nrlncRNAs) was subsequently identified by univariate Cox regression. We then constructed the signature by performing the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO) and evaluated it by Kaplan–Meier analysis, multivariate Cox regression, time-dependent receiver operating characteristics (ROC), nomogram, calibration curves, gene set enrichment analyses(GSEA), immune checkpoint, tumor microenvironment(TME), N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification genes, and the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) analysis in the risk groups. Results: An 11-nrlncRNAs (AC008750.1, AL133297.1, AC005479.1, AP003559.1, UBE2Q1-AS1, MIR100HG, LINC02709, AC005387.1, LINC00649, AC021321.1, ETV7-AS1) prognostic signature was constructed. Immune checkpoint analysis revealed that the expression of most of the immune genes in the high-risk group was higher than those in the low-risk group. The signature predicted different IC50 values to have statistical significance in high-and low-risk groups for multiple drugs. Conclusion: Our constructed signature may contribute to the prognosis of patients with BLCA as well as serve as clinical predictors of chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
Nematode-citrus plant interactions: host preference, damage rate and molecular characterization of Citrus root nematode Tylenchulus semipenetrans
Authors: Bozbuga Refik , Yildiz Senol , Yuksel Ebubekir , Özer Göksel , Dababat Abdelfattah A. , İmren Mustafa
Published: May 2022

AimsCitrus plants are hosts of numerous plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs), which are microscopic organisms and hidden enemies for plants. Among the PPNs, the citrus root nematode, Tylenchulus semipenetrans, causes significant damage to citrus plantations in the world. Understanding the citrus nematode population, precise nematode identification, host preference among the citrus species, and damage threshold level are crucially important to control T. semipenetrans. Although some studies have been conducted, minutiae about citrus plant-nematode interactions, nematodes density, and molecular nematode identification have not been well understood. MethodsThis study aimed to reveal nematode identification using molecular and morphological methods, host-nematode interactions, host (citrus species) preference, damage of economic threshold (ET), and economic-injury level (EIL). Therefore, citrus plantations of different provinces located in the Mediterranean region of Turkey were investigated.ResultsITS sequences revealed that samples were infested with the citrus root nematode Tylenchulus semipenetrans. The lowest nematode density was obtained from Mersin (80-second-stage juveniles(J2s)/150g-soil), while the highest density was obtained from Adana (18260-J2s/150g-soil). Out of the 73 samples collected from the Mediterranean region, 21.9% have passed the EIL, while 8.2% are on the ET. Citrus nematode reproduced utmost level on roots of Citrus reticulata, followed by C.sinensis, C.limon, and C.parasidisi, respectively. ConclusionThis study revealed that the Citrus nematode is more common than it was thought and that the population fluctuations change according to the citrus plant species. It is of great importance to investigate the possible genetic changes in nematode populations caused by global warming and its negative impact on citrus yield.
Using the U-Net Family for Epicardial Adipose Tissue Segmentation and Quantification in Non-Contrast CT
Authors: Liu Lu , Ma Runlei , Ooijen Peter van , Oudkerk Matthijs , Vliegenthart Rozemarijn , Brune Christoph , Veldhuis Raymond
Published: May 2022

Background: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) locates between the visceral pericardium and myocardium and the EAT volume is correlated with cardiovascular risk. Nowadays, many deep learning-based automated EAT segmentation and quantification methods in the U-net family were developed to reduce the workload for radiologists. However, most of the works were based on private or small dataset with di↵erent label types. Thus, their reproducibility is relatively low and comparison of their performance is difficult. Methods: In this work, we comparably studied and evaluated the state-of-the-art segmentation methods, and o↵ered future directions. Our work is based on a dataset of 154 non-contrast CT scans from the ROBINSCA study with two types of labels: (a) region inside the pericardium and (b) pixel-wise EAT labels. We selected four advanced methods from the U-net family: 3D U-net, 3D attention U-net, an extended 3D attention U-net, and U-net++. For evaluation, we did both four-fold cross-validation and hold-out tests. Agreement between the automatic segmentation/quantification and the manual quantification was evaluated with the Pearson correlation and the Bland-Altman analysis.Results: Generally, the models trained with label type (a) showed better performance compared to models trained with label type (b). The U-net++ model trained with label type (a) showed the best performance of segmentation and quantification. The U-net++ model trained with label type (a) efficiently provides better EAT segmentation results(Hold-out test: DCS=80.18 ± 0.20%, mIoU=67.13 ± 0.39%, sensitivity=81.47 ± 0.43%, specificity=99.64 ± 0.00%, Pearson correlation=0.9405) and EAT volume compared to the other U-net-based networks and the recent EAT segmentation method.Conclusions: 3D convolutional neural networks do not always perform better than 2D convolutional neural networks in the EAT segmentation and quantification.And labels of the region inside the pericardium are helpful to train more accurate EAT segmentation models. Deep learning-based methods have the potential to provide good EAT segmentation and quantification.
Blood-based protein biomarkers in definite frontotemporal dementia: a case-control study
Authors: Teunissen Charlotte , Campo Marta Del , Peeters Carel , Meeter Lieke , Seelaar Harro , Koel-Simmelink Marleen , Ramakers Inez , Middelkoop H , De Deyn Peter , Claessen Jurgen , Swieten John van , Bridel Claire , Hoozemans Jeroen , Flier Wiesje van der , Scheltens Philip , Pijnenburg Yolande , Babapour-Mofrad Rosha
Published: May 2022

Background: Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is caused by frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), characterized mainly by inclusions of Tau (FTLD-Tau) or TAR DNA binding43 (FTLD-TDP) proteins. Plasma biomarkers are strongly needed for specific diagnosis and potential treatment monitoring of FTD. We aimed to identify specific FTD plasma biomarker profiles discriminating FTD from AD and controls, and between FTD pathological subtypes. In addition, we compared plasma results with results in post-mortem frontal cortex of FTD cases to understand the underlying process. Methods: Plasma proteins (n=1303) from pathologically and/or genetically confirmed FTD patients (n=56; FTLD-Tau n=16; age= 58.2±6.2; 44% female, FTLD-TDP n= 40; age= 59.8±7.9; 45% female), AD patients (n=57; age= 65.5±8.0; 39% female), and non-demented controls (n=148; 61.3±7.9; 41% female) were measured using an aptamer-based proteomic technology (SomaScan). In addition, tissue proteins of post-mortem frontal brain cortex of FTD (n=10; FTLD-Tau n=5; age= 56.2±6.9, 60% female, and FTLD-TDP n= 5; age= 64.0±7.7, 60% female) and non-demented controls (n=5; age= 61.3±8.1; 75% female) were measured. Differentially regulated plasma and tissue proteins were identified by global testing adjusting for demographic variables and multiple testing. Logistic lasso regression was used to identify plasma protein panels discriminating FTD from non-demented controls and AD, or FTLD-Tau from FTLD-TDP. Performance of the discriminatory plasma protein panels was based on predictions obtained from bootstrapping with 1000 resampled analysis. Results: Overall plasma protein expression profiles differed between FTD, AD and controls (6 proteins; p=0.005). The overall tissue protein expression profile differed between FTD and controls (7-proteins; p=0.003). There was no difference in overall plasma or tissue expression profile between FTD subtypes. Regression analysis revealed a panel of 12-plasma proteins discriminating FTD from AD with high accuracy (AUC: 0.99). No plasma protein panels discriminating FTD from controls or FTD pathological subtypes were identified. Conclusions: We identified a promising plasma protein panel as a minimally-invasive tool to aid in the differential diagnosis of FTD from AD, which were mainly associated to AD pathophysiology. The lack of plasma profiles specifically associated to FTD or its pathological subtypes might be explained by FTD heterogeneity, calling for FTD studies using large and well-characterize cohorts.
Association of serum creatinine with hepatic steatosis and fibrosis: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Ma Juan , Wei Zhongcao , Wang Qian , Lu Xiaolan , Zhou Zhihua , Li Ruohan , Shu Qiuai , Liu Yixin , Wang Jinhai , Liu Na , Shi Haitao
Published: May 2022

Background: Recent studies have shown that chronic kidney disease (CKD) prevalence is significantly higher in patients with hepatic steatosis (HS); however, it remains unclear whether HS is associated with serum creatinine (SCr). We aimed to explore the association between SCr levels and HS in a Chinese population.Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study among 56569 Chinese individuals. SCr level, other clinical and laboratory parameters, abdominal ultrasound and noninvasive fibrosis scores were extracted, and the fibrosis 4 score (FIB-4) was calculated.Results: A total of 27.1% of the subjects had HS. After 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) according to sex and age, we included 13301 subjects with HS and 13,301 subjects without HS. SCr levels were significantly higher in the HS group than in the non-HS group (73.19±15.14 vs. 71.75±17.49, p<0.001). Univariate and multivariate regression analyses showed a positive association between SCr and the prevalence of HS. Stepwise regression analysis showed that the association between SCr and HS was independent of other metabolic syndrome components. The prevalence of HS increased significantly with increasing SCr levels. Metabolism-related indicators and liver enzymes were significantly higher in the HS group than in the non-HS group; furthermore, these parameters increased with increasing SCr levels. FIB-4 was significantly higher in the HS group than in the non-HS group but did not show an increasing trend with increasing SCr levels.Conclusions: Our results showed an independent association between SCr level and HS risk in a Chinese population.
Serum marker and CT characteristics of coronary calcified nodule assessed by intravascular ultrasound
Authors: Li Jing , Li Jing , Jian Zhijie , Wu Jianhua , Yang Jian , Guo Ning , Huang Xin
Published: May 2022

Background: Calcified nodule (CN) is a type of potentially vulnerable plaque. Its formation mechanism remains unknown. This study was to assess serum marker and computed tomography angiography (CTA) characteristics of CN validated by intravascular ultrasound (IVUS).Methods: Patients underwent coronary CTA followed by invasive coronary angiography and IVUS were retrospectively analyzed. Serum levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma-glutamyltransferase, and calcium were collected.Results: IVUS detected 128 de novo calcified plaques in 79 patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). CNs were identified in 11.4% (9/79) of patients and 9.4% (12/128) of lesions. Compared with patients with non-nodular calcified plaques, CN patients had higher serum level of ALP (82.00 vs 65.00 mmol/L, P = .022) and total plaque volume (673.00 vs 467.50 mm3, P = .021). Multivariable analyses revealed that serum ALP level and total plaque volume independently associated with the prevalence of CN in CAD patients with calcified plaques. At lesion level, the CN group had a more frequency of moderate to heavy calcification on angiography (75.0% vs 40.5%, P = .017). In terms of CTA characteristics, plaques with CN had a more severe diameter stenosis (79.00% vs 63.00%, P = .007), higher plaque burden (85.40% vs 77.05%, P = .005), total plaque density (398.00 vs 283.50 HU, P = .008), but lower lipid percentage (14.65 % vs 19.75%, P = .010) and fiber percentage (17.90 % vs 25.65%, P = .011). Mean plaque burden is an independent predictor of the prevalence of CN in calcified plaques (odds ratio = 1.102, 95% CI: 1.025-1.185, P = .009). The AUC is 0.753 (95% confidence interval: 0.615-0.890, P = .004). When using 84.85% as the best cutoff value, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of mean plaque burden for predicting the presence of CN within calcified plaques were 66.7% and 80.2% respectively.Conclusion: CN had different CTA imaging features from non-nodular coronary calcification. The presence of a CN was associated with a higher serum ALP level and plaque burden.
Thiamethoxam evoked neural oxido-inflammatory stress in male rats through modulation of Nrf2/NF-kB/iNOS signaling and inflammatory cytokines: neuroprotective effect of silymarin.
Authors: Habotta Ola , Ateya Ahmed , Saleh Rasha M. , El-Ashry Eman S.
Published: May 2022

Thiamethoxam, a neonicotinoid insecticide, is a widely used insecticide with neurotoxic potential. This study explored the neuroprotective effects of silymarin on thiamethoxam-triggered cortical injury in male rats. Animals were divided into four groups and treated daily either with SM (150 mg/kg), TMX (78.15 mg/kg), or both at the aforementioned doses for 28 days. Our results revealed marked declines in cortical SOD and CAT activities with elevations in MDA, IL-1b and TNF-α levels in thiamethoxam-treated rats. Further, thiamethoxam induced down-regulation in gene expressions of Sod, Cat, Gpx, and Nrf-2 genes, with up-regulation in the expression of IL-1b, IL-6, iNOS, TNF-α and NF-kB genes. Interestingly, pre-treatment with SM provided a notable neuroprotective action against TMX-mediated cortical damage that indicates its promising antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. This effect may be mediated by Nrf2/NF-kB/iNOS signalling and suppression of excess free radicals and production of inflammatory cytokines.
Validation of the Moroccan version of the Cohen perceived stress scale (PSS-10) among women with Breast cancer
Authors: Mounjid Chaimaa , M’rabti Hind , Sossé Leila Alaoui , Laraqui Abdelilah , Chajès Véronique , Khannoussi Basma El , Bakri Youssef , Errihani Hassan
Published: May 2022

BackgroundThe possible contribution of psychological stress to the development of BC has been largely investigated. One of the most extensively used psychological scales is the Perceived Stress Scale (Health Soc Behav 24:385 − 96, 1983), which demonstrates sufficient reliability and validity. The PSS-10 has been translated and adapted into over 30 languages on different samples. Thus, the purposes of this study were first to translate the PSS-10 into the Moroccan Arabic dialect language and second to evaluate its validity in women with breast cancer (BC).MethodsA method of translation and counter-translation into the Moroccan dialect was performed for the 10-item of PSS. Then the translated questionnaire was administered to a representative sample of 100 women with BC. Validation of metrological qualities was established by examining: internal reliability, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and factorial structure.ResultThe Moroccan version of the PSS showed a good internal reliability (α = 0.87) and test-retest reliability (0.95 with IC95%=[0.88,0.98]. The confirmatory factor analysis showed a bi-dimensional structure with two related latent factors. Moreover, the principal component analysis of the Perceived Stress Scale allowed us to extract two factors that explained 67% of the total variance.ConclusionsThe present study showed that the Moroccan version of the PSS-10 has good internal consistency and reliability. The factor structure is similar to that of the PSS translated into other languages. We consider this version of the PSS-10 to be an adequate instrument for assessing perceived stress in the Moroccan population and can provide an important tool in medical practice such as oncology. Moreover, it will be interesting to conduct further studies as comparative investigations between patients with BC and healthy women by using this validated Scale PSS.
Improving bond strength of translucent zirconia through surface treatment with SiO 2 –ZrO 2 coating
Authors: Cui Tiehan , Du Qiao , Niu Guangliang , Qiu Jiaxuan , Yang Bin
Published: May 2022

Purpose: Zirconia is a kind of chemically stable material that is able to form a weak bond with resin. For the purpose of investigating the surface properties of SiO2–ZrO2 coating on zirconia and its bonding with resin.Methods: the translucent zirconia discs based on different surface treatments were named CT (control group), SB (sandblasting), C21, C11 and C12 groups (with SiO2: ZrO2 = 2: 1,1: 1 and 1: 2 coatings). The surface of translucent zirconia coating was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), surface roughness assessment (Ra), X-ray diffraction (XRD), water contact angle (WCA), fracture toughness (KIC), flexural strength (FS), translucence parameter (TP) and shear bond strength (SBS). A 2-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for shear bond strength results and a 1-way ANOVA for other data were performed as statistical analysis.Results: The SEM images revealed the existence of SiO2 islands on the coated translucent zirconia. The Ra of C12, C11, and C21 groups was larger than that of SB and CT groups. The XRD showed that phase transformation was not detected in any group. In addition, sandblasting and SiO2–ZrO2 coatings couldn’t reduce certain physical properties of translucent zirconia, but could reduce the WCA. According to the TP results, the translucency of the group C21 decreased, as well as group C11 illustrated the highest shear bond strength under both aging conditions.Conclusion: The SiO2–ZrO2 coating is a promising method to enhance the bonding between resin cement and translucent zirconia.
Tracing Coalition Changes in Knowledge in and Engagement with Childhood Obesity Prevention to Improve Intervention Implementation
Authors: Moore Travis R. , Pachucki Mark C. , Hennessy Erin , Economos Christina D.
Published: May 2022

Background
While most coalition research focuses on studying the effects of peer relationship structure, this study examines the coevolution of coalition structure and behavior across three communities in the U.S. with the goal of identifying coalition dynamics that impact a childhood obesity prevention intervention.
Methods
Over two years (2018–2020), three communities within the U.S. participated in a childhood obesity prevention intervention at different times. This intervention was guided by the Stakeholder-Driven Community Diffusion theory, which describes an empirically testable mechanism for promoting community change. Measures are part of the Stakeholder-driven Communtiy Diffusion (SDCD) survey with demonstrated reliability, which include knowledge of and engagement with childhood obesity prevention and social networks. Data were used to build stochastic actor-oriented models to examine the coevolution of coalition structure with coalition behavior defined a priori as knowledge of and engagement with obesity prevention among coalition members only (Network A) and coalition members and their nominated alters (Network B).
Results
Overall, coalitions decrease in size and their structure becomes less dense over time. Both Network A and B show a consistent preference to form and sustain ties with those who have more ties. In Network B, there was a trend for those who have higher knowledge scores to increase their number of ties over time. The same trend appeared in Network A but varied based on their peers’ knowledge in and engagement with childhood obesity prevention. Across models, engagement with childhood obesity prevention research was not a significant driver of changes in either coalition network structure or knowledge.
Conclusions
The trends in coalition Network A and B’s coevolution models may point to context-specific features (e.g., ties among coalition members) that can be leveraged for better intervention implementation. To that end, examining tie density, average path length, network diameter, and the dynamics of each behavior outcome (i.e., knowledge in and engagement with childhood obesity prevention) may help tailor WoC interventions. Future research should attend to additional behavioral variables (e.g., group efficacy) that can capture other aspects of coalition development and that influence implementation, and to testing the efficacy of network interventions after trends have been identified.
Assessment of Alzheimer-related Pathologies of Dementia Using Machine Learning Feature Selection
Authors: Rajab Mohammed D , Jammeh Emmanuel , Taketa Teruka , Brayne Carol , Matthews Fiona E , Su Li , Ince Paul G , Wharton Stephen B , Wang Dennis
Published: May 2022

Although a variety of brain lesions may contribute to the pathological diagnosis of dementia, the relationship of these lesions to dementia, how they interact and how to quantify them remain uncertain. Systematically assessing neuropathological measures in relation to the cognitive and functional definitions of dementia may enable the development of better diagnostic systems and treatment targets. The objective of this study is to apply machine learning approaches for feature selection to identify key features of Alzheimer-related pathologies associated with dementia. We applied machine learning techniques for feature ranking and classification as an unbiased comparison of neuropathological features and assessment of their diagnostic performance using a cohort (n = 186) from the Cognitive Function and Ageing Study (CFAS). Seven feature ranking methods using different information criteria consistently ranked 22 out of the 34 neuropathology features for importance to dementia classification. Braak neurofibrillary tangle stage, Beta-amyloid and cerebral amyloid angiopathy features were the most highly ranked, although were highly correlated with each other. The best performing dementia classifier using the top eight ranked neuropathology features achieved 79% sensitivity, 69% specificity, and 75% precision. A substantial proportion (40.4%) of dementia cases was consistently misclassified by all seven algorithms and any combination of the 22 ranked features. These results highlight the potential of using machine learning to identify key indices of plaque, tangle and cerebral amyloid angiopathy burdens that may be useful for the classification of dementia.
Haematological Effects of Extract of Parkia Biglobosa Plants in West African Dwarf (WAD) Goats Infected With Haemonchus Contortus
Authors: Josiah James Gana , Jiya Zipporah , Obi Okechukwu Anthony
Published: May 2022

The effects of stem bark extracts of Parkia biglobosa on haematological parameters of West African Dwraf (WAD) goats averagely weigh 10kg was investigated. The plant was sourced from Tsaragi community in Edu LGA, Kwara State, Nigeria and extracted with methanol to yield crude methanol stem bark extract (CMSBE). This CMSBE was partitioned with n- Hexane, ethyl acetate and water to yield additional ethyl acetate (EA) fraction and aqueous (AQ) fraction. The haematological parameters evaluation were carried out in 18 WAD goats infected with Haemonchus contortus in six groups of completely block design at three animals per group. Group A and B were dosed with 5mL/kg of distilled water and 6.25mg/kg of Albendazole (ABZ) for negative and positive control respectively. Groups C and D with 1000mg/kg and 2000mg/kg of CMSBE respectively and groups E and F with 1000mg/kg of EA fraction and AQ fraction each respectively. The haematological parameters evaluated were Parked cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin concentration (Hb), total red blood cell (TRBC), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and differential white blood cell count such as neutrophils, lymphocytes and monocytes, eosinophils, neutrophils and basophils. The results showed that CMSBE, EA fraction and AQ fraction have no significant (P > 0.05) effect on haematological paremeters of WAD goats based on the doses used. However, the increase in Hb, RBC and PCV observed in this study suggested that P. biglobosa extracts may be pursued for their clinical relevance in the management of anaemia and in treatment of infectious disease caused by helminth parasites like H. contortus. It is therefore, recommended to establish a baseline indices for haematological parameters on the basis of factors such as sex, age, breed, and nutrition of animals and carry out further studies to determine the effects of these factors on these indices.
Screening of Single-stranded DNA Aptamer Specific for Florfenicol and Application in Detection of Food Safety
Authors: Shi Minghui , Liu Ruobing , Zhang Fuyuan , Chitrakar Bimal , Wang Xianghong
Published: May 2022

In this work, single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) aptamers specific to florfenicol (FF) having high binding affinity were prepared using magnetic-bead-based systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment technique (MB-SELEX). After 10 rounds of MB-SELEX screening, aptamers that can simultaneously recognize FF and its metabolite FFA were obtained. The aptamer with the lowest dissociation constant (Kd) was truncated and optimized based on secondary structure analysis. The optimal aptamer selected was Apt-14t, with a length of 43 nt and its dissociation constant was 4.66 ± 0.75 nM, which was about 7 times higher than that of the full-length sequence. The potential binding sites and interactions with FF were demonstrated by molecular docking simulations. In addition, a colorimetric strategy for nanogold aptamers was constructed. The linear detection range of this method was 0.00128–500 ng/mL and the actual detection limit was 0.00128 ng/mL. Using this strategy to detect florfenicol in actual milk and eggs samples, the spiked recoveries were 88.9% − 123.1% and 84.0% − 112.2%, respectively and the relative standard deviation was less than 5.6%, showing high accuracy.
Testing the Amati and Yonetoku correlations for short gamma-ray bursts
Authors: Zitouni Hannachi , Guessoum Nidhal , Azzam Walid Jameel
Published: May 2022

We use a sample of Swift and Fermi short gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) to test the validity of the Amati and Yonetoku correlation relationships that were originally found for long bursts. The first relationship is between Ep,i, the intrinsic peak energy of the GRB prompt emission, and Eiso, the equivalent isotropic energy. The second relationship is between Ep,i and Liso, the peak isotropic luminosity. The sample is composed of 17 Swift SGRBs and 5 Fermi SGRBs that have a measured redshift and whose spectral parameters, with their uncertainties, are available online. The uncertainties (error bars) on the values of the calculated energy flux P, of the energy Eiso, and of the peak isotropic luminosity peak Liso are estimated using a Monte Carlo approach. We find that SGRBs’ energy and luminosity quantities (Ep,i, Eiso, and Liso) can be correlated with Amati- and Yonetoku-like relations reasonably well (good or moderately good Person r-values and reduced chi-squares), although the data show large scatter and hence large error bars on the slope and the intercept of the fitting line. Our results are consistent with other similar works, though we here use the largest sample of SGRBs so far on this topic. We also find that Eiso and Liso seem to evolve with redshift as (1 + z) 4.9±0.3 and (1 + z) 5.5±0.9 , respectively, with a moderate goodness of fit. However, we caution that this is probably due to selection effects rather than being a genuine redshift evolution of Eiso and Liso.
Classification prediction of pancreatic cystic neoplasms based on radiomics deep learning models
Authors: Liang Wenjie , Wang Pan , Tian Wuwei , Wang Yubizhuo , Zhang Hongbin , Ruan Shijian , Shao Jiayuan , Wang Yifan , Zhang Xiuming , Huang Danjiang , Ding Yong , Bai Xueli
Published: May 2022

Background: Preoperative prediction of pancreatic cystic neoplasm (PCN) differentiation has significant value for implementation of personalized diagnosis and treatment plan. This study aims to build radiomics deep learning (DL) models using computed tomography (CT) data for preoperative differential diagnosis of common cystic tumors of pancreas.Methods: Clinical and CT data of 193 patients with PCN was collected for the study. Among these patients, 99 were pathologically diagnosed with pancreatic serous cystadenoma (SCA), 55 with mucinous cystadenoma (MCA) and 39 with intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN). The regions of interest (ROIs) were obtained based on manual image segmentation of CT scans. The radiomics model and radiomics-DL model were constructed using support vector machines (SVMs). Moreover, in combination with clinical and radiological features, the best combined feature set was obtained by Akaike information criterion (AIC) analysis, and the fused model was constructed using logistic regression.Results: For SCA differential diagnosis, the fused model performed the best and obtained average area under the curve (AUC) of 0.916. It had a best feature set including position, polycystic features (≥6), cystic wall calcification, pancreatic duct dilatation and radiomics-DL score. As for MCA and IPMN differential diagnosis, the fused model with AUC of 0.973 had a best feature set including age, communicate with pancreatic duct and radiomics scores.Conclusions: The radiomics, radiomics-DL and fused model based on CT images have a favorable differential diagnostic performance for SCA, MCA and IPMN. These findings may be beneficial to the formulation of individualized management strategies.
Elevating Mentorship Competency for Sustained Impact through the University of Zambia Mentor Training Program
Authors: Rose Elizabeth S. , Gavarkavich Diane , Nzala Selestine H. , Goma Fastone M. , Reed Kristin , Chi Benjamin H. , Deepak Aditi , Parker Océane J. , Heimburger Douglas C. , Martin Marie H.
Published: May 2022

BackgroundThe University of Zambia’s (UNZA) Mentor Training Program, established in 2018, is conducted annually to strengthen the mentorship capacity of the UNZA PhD program for the health professions. This intensive five-session course trains faculty members in the mentorship of students. Established by senior UNZA leaders and US-based collaborators, this program was designed to address gaps in mentorship identified at the institutional level. Faculty facilitators developed the course curriculum and used a train-the-trainer model to ensure program sustainability. Participants were faculty members and current or future mentors of PhD and Master of Medicine students. MethodsTo assess the program’s impact, faculty mentors and their mentees completed a 26-item questionnaire on mentoring competencies at the end of a mentor’s participation in the course and one year later. The competencies included: maintaining effective communication, aligning expectations, assessing understanding, fostering independence, addressing diversity, and promoting professional development. Competency scores were compared longitudinally to quantify potential changes in mentoring behaviors.ResultsMentors and mentees alike noted mentor growth in all competency domains from post-course to one year later, providing evidence that the program may have sustained and positive effects on mentoring behaviors over time. Analysis of mentors’ self-ratings indicated a 20% increase in perceived competency from pre-training to one year later; mentees noted a 7% increase in mentors’ competency during the same period. Salient areas of growth corresponded with topics of emphasis and in-depth discussions in the course, including addressing diversity, aligning expectations, assessing capacities, motivating mentees, and fostering independence. ConclusionsThese findings suggest that mentors internalized this content and transferred it to behavior change. The behavioral changes may reveal a larger change in the institutional environment around the mentoring of students. The UNZA Mentor Training Program appears to have sustained impact after a year and should bode well for future benefits to students, faculty, and the institution.
Biosorption of Dimethyl Phthalate From Aqueous Solution Using Yeast-based Silver Nanoparticle
Authors: Omoyeni Temitayo , Erkurt Hatice
Published: May 2022

Biosorption provides the reduction of pollution effluents to environmentally satisfactory cutoff points in a financially savvy and ecologically benevolent way by using microorganisms and nanotechnology. Due to its availability and dimethyl phthalate sorption capability, Saccharomyces cerevisiae was considered for biosorption of dimethyl phthalate in the last decade. In this Study dried S.cerevisiae with Silver Nanoparticle was used for dimethyl phthalate biosorption. The influence of operative conditions such as pH, temperature, initial DMP concentration, adsorbent dosage, and contact time was examined. Optimization of operational parameters shows that the optimum concentrations of YB-AgNPs for effective removal of DMP were 700 µg/ml at pH 5 after 5mins and 0.5g at 30-500C for YB-AgNPs biomass concentration. Using three isothermal models, the data obtained from the experiment were analyzed, and the parameters were estimated for each isothermal and related coefficient. The Langmuir isotherm model in this study suits best for biosorption of Dimethyl phthalate. In order to evaluate biosorption kinetics, three kinetic models were used, and it was observed that biosorption follows a second pseudo-order model of a ratio coefficient as high as (R2 = 1). The analysis of thermodynamics test data revealed that the process was spontaneous and feasible. The mechanism of biosorption was defined as physisorption. Therefore, the results obtained show that inactive YB-AgNPs can be an easy and affordable alternative to costly activated carbon for the treatment of dimethyl phthalate from wastewater.
Left adrenal venous drainage into the inferior vena cava in a pheochromocytoma patient with ectopic pelvic kidney
Authors: Sengun Berke , Iscan Yalin , Sormaz Ismail Cem , Aksakal Nihat , Poyanli Arzu , Tunca Fatih , Senyurek Yasemin Giles
Published: May 2022

PurposeTo describe a very rare variant adrenal venous anatomy in a left-sided pheochromocytoma case with left adrenal vein draining into the inferior vena cava (IVC).Case ReportA 66-year-old female with an incidentally discovered left adrenal mass was referred to our clinic for further diagnostic work up. She had a 3-years history of hypertension. Abdominal magnetic resonance imaging which has been performed for essential thrombocytopenia revealed a left adrenal mass. She was diagnosed as pheochromocytoma by further laboratory workup. Preoperative imaging with computed tomography (CT) angiography showed that left kidney was ectopically localized in pelvis, and left adrenal vein was draining directly into the IVC. A laparoscopic transabdominal left adrenalectomy was performed. Final pathology result was consistent for pheochromocytoma. DiscussionVariant adrenal venous anatomy is rare. There are only a few case reports on patients with left adrenal vein draining into the IVC. Although there are handful of autopsy studies, these studies were performed on normal adrenal glands. The number of clinical reports on variant adrenal venous anatomy is limited. Clinical studies revealed that most commonly seen variant adrenal venous anatomy were number based and were associated with larger tumor size and pheochromocytoma. Preoperative CT imaging could be used too improve the identification of venous anatomy. ConclusionIn this report, we present a very rare case of an adult patient with left ectopic kidney who had undergone laparoscopic adrenalectomy for left adrenal tumor and had left adrenal vein draining into the IVC. Preoperative CT imaging identified the variant adrenal venous anatomy in this patient.
Mechanism Exploration of Youth Ischemic Stroke by Metabolomics Analysis
Authors: Wang Fude , Liu Xianfei , Li Shuangshuang , Du Pengcheng , Lu Zilin , Chang Sheng , Dong Jian , Zhou Jian
Published: May 2022

The onset age of acute ischemic stroke (IS) is gradually younger, which brings great challenges and burden to the medical system. For stroke patients, time is the brain cells, so any method contributes to rapid identification or diagnosis of stroke is extremely meaningful. Metabolomics analysis provides us with new means and ideas for discovering potential stroke-related biomarkers and understanding the pathogenesis of youth IS. In this study, fifty-five patients with IS were assigned in two groups(senior or junior) according to the age(60-year-old) and were performed serum metabolomics analysis based on Liquid Chromatography coupled to tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) system. Forty differential metabolites were selected, mainly ceramides, lipids, and amino acids, which are mainly related to aging, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and antitumor mechanisms. The pathway analysis showed that the differential metabolites were mainly enriched in sphingolippid metabolism, glycine metabolism, serine and threonine metabolism, glycerol phospholipid metabolism, biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, linoleic acid metabolism, and vitamin B6 metabolism. Our study suggests that the mechanism of IS in young adults was most likely associated with elevated plasma lactose ceramide levels and abnormal sphingolipid metabolic pathway.
Neutrophil-derived COX-2 has a key role during inflammatory hyperalgesia
Authors: Carvalho Nathalia Santos , Lemes Julia Borges Paes , Pagliusi Marco , Machado Ana Carolina , Malange Kauê Franco , Pral Lais Passariello , Fachi José Luís , Massucato Catarine Nishijima , Santos Gilson Gonçalves dos , Tambeli Claudia Herrera , Sartori Cesar Renato , Vinolo Marco Aurélio Ramirez , Parada Carlos Amilcar
Published: May 2022

Inflammation is a vital process for the injured tissue restoration and one of its hallmarks is inflammatory hyperalgesia. The cyclooxygenase (COX) pathway is strongly related to the inflammatory and painful process. Usually, the COX-1 isoform is described as homeostatic, while COX-2 is characterized as inducible in inflammatory conditions. Although it is well known that neutrophil cells are the first to arrive at the inflamed site and the major source of COX-2 is still unknown the specific role of neutrophil-derived Cox-2 in the pain process is. Thus, in the present study, we demonstrate for the first time that neutrophil-derived COX-2 plays a key role in peripheral inflammatory hyperalgesia. Conditional knockout mice for Cox-2 in neutrophils (Cox-2fl/fl: Mrp8cre+/−) exhibited higher pain sensitivity after carrageenan (CG) injection and long-lasting IL-1β-induced hyperalgesia compared with the control group (COX-2fl/fl). Also, CG-induced inflammation in Cox-2fl/fl: Mrp8cre+/− mice showed Cox-1 overexpression, and increased neutrophil migration and pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-1β and CXCL1). These findings revealed that neutrophil Cox-2 has an important role in the regulation of inflammatory hyperalgesia.
Naringin, an agent for statin-associated diabetes: A preliminary study
Authors: Keni Raghuvir , Nayak Pawan Ganesh , Kumar Nitesh , Nandakumar Krishnadas
Published: May 2022

Statins have long been used to treat hypercholesterolemia and are the highest prescribed class of drugs for this condition. Though generally considered safe, new pieces of evidence has increasingly linked them with the development of diabetes amongst users. The risk of development of diabetes is both drug and patient dependent. Amongst the numerous hypotheses proposed to explain this, one suggests that the development of diabetes on prolonged usage of statin in high doses may be linked to beta-cell death or dysfunction. To that end, in this study, we explore the potential of naringin in ameliorating the detrimental effects of stain associated pancreatic beta-cell death. Our findings go on to show that naringin can prevent the loss of live cells to atorvastatin induced beta-cell death.
Predictive value of serum YKL-40 and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio for the severity of coronary artery disease in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction
Authors: Fang Caoyang , Chen Zhenfei , Pan Jianyuan , Zhang Jing , Jin Xiaoqin , Yang Mengsi , Huang Luyao
Published: May 2022

Background: Acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction(STEMI) is a life-threatening coronary artery disease, inflammation plays a key role in the occurrence and development of coronary atherosclerosis. Serum YKL-40 and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratios(NLR) are both inflammatory markers. The purpose of this study is to investigate the predictive value of serum YKL-40 and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio for the severity of coronary artery disease in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Methods: A total of 120 STEMI patients admitted from October 2020 to February 2022 were included in the STEMI group. 71 patients without coronary sclerosis who underwent coronary angiography at the same time were in the control group. They were divided into the high Gensini score group (Gensini score > 64 points) and the low Gensini score group (Gensini score ≤ 64 points). Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between serum YKL-40 and NLR and Gensini score in the STEMI group; Multifactorial logistic regression analysis was used to study the correlation of serum YKL-40 and NLR each with coronary artery lesion degree; Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) to evaluate the predictive value of serum YKL-40 and NLR on coronary artery lesion degree. Results: The serum YKL-40 and NLR in the STEMI group were higher than those in the control group, the serum YKL-40, and NLR in the high Gensini score group were higher than those in the low Gensini score group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that serum YKL-40 and NLR were positively correlated with the Gensini score in the STEMI group. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that serum YKL-40 was an independent risk factor for the severity of coronary artery lesions. The ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of serum YKL-40 in the diagnosis of a high Gensini score was 0.73; The AUC of NLR in the diagnosis of a high Gensini score was 0.694. Conclusion: Both serum YKL-40 and NLR correlated with coronary artery lesion degree in STEMI patients, and serum YKL-40 was a better predictor of coronary artery lesion degree in STEMI patients than NLR.