bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bibliometric and visual analysis of research on the links between the gut microbiota and pain from 2002 to 2021
Authors: Mao Menghan , Zhou Yanyu , Jiao Yingfu , Yin Suqing , Cheung Chiwai , Yu Weifeng , Gao Po , Yang Liqun
Published: November 2022

Background and aims

The gut microbiota is involved in the regulation of pain, which is proved by plenty of evidence. Although a substantial quantity of research on the link between the gut microbiota and pain has emerged, no study has focused on the bibliometric analysis of this topic. We aim to present a bibliometric review of publications over the past 20 years and predict research hot spots.

Methods

Relevant publications between 2002 and 2021 were extracted from the Science Citation Index-Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED) of the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database on April 22, 2022. CiteSpace (version 5.8 R3c), VOSviewer, the Online Analysis Platform of Literature Metrology, and the R package bibliometrix were used to analyze and visualize.

Results

A total of 233 articles have been published between 2002 and 2021. The number of publication outputs increased rapidly since 2016. The collaboration network revealed that the USA, Baylor College of Medicine, and Vassilia Theodorou were the most influential country, institute, and scholar, respectively. Alimentary pharmacology and therapeutics and Gut were the most co-cited journal and Neurogastroenterology and Motility was the most productive journal. Visceral sensitivity, fibromyalgia, gastrointestinal, chronic pain, stress, gut microbiome, LGG, brain-gut axis, SLAB51, and sequencing were the top 10 clusters in co-occurrence cluster analysis. Keyword burst detection indicated that the brain-gut axis and short-chain fatty acid were the current research hot spots.

Conclusion

Research on the links between the gut microbiota and pain has increased rapidly since 2016. The current research focused on the brain-gut axis and short-chain fatty acid. Accordingly, the SCFAs-mediated mechanism of pain regulation will be a research direction of great importance on the links between the gut microbiota and pain. This study provided instructive assistance to direct future research efforts on the links between the gut microbiota and pain.
The phycoerythrobilin isomerization activity of MpeV in Synechococcus sp. WH8020 is prevented by the presence of a histidine at position 141 within its phycoerythrin-I β-subunit substrate
Authors: Carrigee Lyndsay A. , Frick Jacob P. , Liu Xindi , Karty Jonathan A. , Trinidad Jonathan C. , Tom Irin P. , Yang Xiaojing , Dufour Louison , Partensky Frédéric , Schluchter Wendy M.
Published: November 2022

Marine Synechococcus efficiently harvest available light for photosynthesis using complex antenna systems, called phycobilisomes, composed of an allophycocyanin core surrounded by rods, which in the open ocean are always constituted of phycocyanin and two phycoerythrin (PE) types: PEI and PEII. These cyanobacteria display a wide pigment diversity primarily resulting from differences in the ratio of the two chromophores bound to PEs, the green-light absorbing phycoerythrobilin and the blue-light absorbing phycourobilin. Prior to phycobiliprotein assembly, bilin lyases post-translationally catalyze the ligation of phycoerythrobilin to conserved cysteine residues on α- or β-subunits, whereas the closely related lyase-isomerases isomerize phycoerythrobilin to phycourobilin during the attachment reaction. MpeV was recently shown in Synechococcus sp. RS9916 to be a lyase-isomerase which doubly links phycourobilin to two cysteine residues (C50 and C61; hereafter C50, 61) on the β-subunit of both PEI and PEII. Here we show that Synechococcus sp. WH8020, which belongs to the same pigment type as RS9916, contains MpeV that demonstrates lyase-isomerase activity on the PEII β-subunit but only lyase activity on the PEI β-subunit. We also demonstrate that occurrence of a histidine at position 141 of the PEI β-subunit from WH8020, instead of a leucine in its counterpart from RS9916, prevents the isomerization activity by WH8020 MpeV, showing for the first time that both the substrate and the enzyme play a role in the isomerization reaction. We propose a structural-based mechanism for the role of H141 in blocking isomerization. More generally, the knowledge of the amino acid present at position 141 of the β-subunits may be used to predict which phycobilin is bound at C50, 61 of both PEI and PEII from marine Synechococcus strains.
A replication-deficient H9N2 influenza virus carrying H5 hemagglutinin conferred protection against H9N2 and H5N1 influenza viruses in mice
Authors: Ren Weigang , Pei Shuli , Jiang Wenming , Zhao Meixia , Jiang Le , Liu Honggang , Yi Yongxiang , Hui Mizhou , Li Junwei
Published: November 2022

H5N1 and H9N2 influenza viruses have been reported to cause human infections and are believed to have pandemic potential. The vaccine is an effective tool to prevent influenza virus infection. However, inactivated influenza vaccines sometimes result in low antigenicity as result leads to generating of incomplete immune protection in the form of low cellular and humoral immunity. While the low temperature adapted, traditional live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) is associated with the potential risk to revert to a virulent phenotype, there appears an essential need for an alternative potent methodology to design and develop influenza vaccines with substantial safety and efficacy which may confer solid protection against H9N2 or H5N1 influenza virus infections. In the present study, a replication-deficient recombinant influenza virus, WM01ma-HA(H5), expressing hemagglutinin (HA) of both H9N2 and H5N1 subtypes was developed. The chimeric gene segment expressing HA(H5), was designed using the sequence of an open reading frame (ORF) of HA adopted from A/wild duck/Hunan/021/2005(H5N1)(HN021ma) which was flanked by the NA packaging signals of mouse-adapted strain A/Mink/Shandong/WM01/2014(H9N2)(WM01ma). Due to the absence of ORF of structural protein NA, the replication of this engineered H9N2 influenza viruses WM01ma-HA(H5) was hampered in vitro and in vivo but was well competent in MDCK cells stably expressing the NA protein of WM01ma. Intranasal vaccination of mice with WM01ma-HA(H5) stimulated robust immune response without any clinical signs and conferred complete protection from infection by H5N1 or H9N2 subtype influenza viruses.
Advances in microbial metagenomics and artificial intelligence analysis in forensic identification
Authors: He Qing , Niu Xueli , Qi Rui-Qun , Liu Min
Published: November 2022

Microorganisms, which are widely distributed in nature and human body, show unique application value in forensic identification. Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing technology and significant reductions in analysis costs have markedly promoted the development of forensic microbiology and metagenomics. The rapid progression of artificial intelligence (AI) methods and computational approaches has shown their unique application value in forensics and their potential to address relevant forensic questions. Here, we summarize the current status of microbial metagenomics and AI analysis in forensic microbiology, including postmortem interval inference, individual identification, geolocation, and tissue/fluid identification.
Host diet shapes functionally differentiated gut microbiomes in sympatric speciation of blind mole rats in Upper Galilee, Israel
Authors: Kuang Zhuoran , Li Fang , Duan Qijiao , Tian Cuicui , Nevo Eviatar , Li Kexin
Published: November 2022

The gut microbiome is important for host nutrient metabolism and ecological adaptation. However, how the gut microbiome is affected by host phylogeny, ecology and diet during sympatric speciation remain unclear. Here, we compare and contrast the gut microbiome of two sympatric blind mole rat species and correlate them with their corresponding host phylogeny, ecology soil metagenomes, and diet to determine how these factors may influence their gut microbiome. Our results indicate that within the host microbiome there is no significant difference in community composition, but the functions between the two sympatric species populations vary significantly. No significant correlations were found between the gut microbiome differentiation and their corresponding ecological soil metagenomes and host phylogeny. Functional enrichment analysis suggests that the host diets may account for the functional divergence of the gut microbiome. Our results will help us understand how the gut microbiome changes with corresponding ecological dietary factors in sympatric speciation of blind subterranean mole rats.
Modeling interaction networks between host, diet, and bacteria predicts obesogenesis in a mouse model
Authors: Larsen Peter E. , Dai Yang
Published: November 2022

Host-microbiome interactions are known to have substantial effects on human health, but the diversity of the human microbiome makes it difficult to definitively attribute specific microbiome features to a host phenotype. One approach to overcoming this challenge is to use animal models of host-microbiome interaction, but it must be determined that relevant aspects of host-microbiome interactions are reflected in the animal model. One such experimental validation is an experiment by Ridura et al. In that experiment, transplanting a microbiome from a human into a mouse also conferred the human donor’s obesity phenotype. We have aggregated a collection of previously published host-microbiome mouse-model experiments and combined it with thousands of sequenced and annotated bacterial genomes and metametabolomic pathways. Three computational models were generated, each model reflecting an aspect of host-microbiome interactions: 1) Predict the change in microbiome community structure in response to host diet using a community interaction network, 2) Predict metagenomic data from microbiome community structure, and 3) Predict host obesogenesis from modeled microbiome metagenomic data. These computationally validated models were combined into an integrated model of host-microbiome-diet interactions and used to replicate the Ridura experiment in silico. The results of the computational models indicate that network-based models are significantly more predictive than similar but non-network-based models. Network-based models also provide additional insight into the molecular mechanisms of host-microbiome interaction by highlighting metabolites and metabolic pathways proposed to be associated with microbiome-based obesogenesis. While the models generated in this study are likely too specific to the animal models and experimental conditions used to train our models to be of general utility in a broader understanding of obesogenesis, the approach detailed here is expected to be a powerful tool of investigating multiple types of host-microbiome interactions.
Low skull bone density is associated with poor motor prognosis in women with Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Jeong Seong Ho , Hong Namki , Lee Hye Sun , Han Sookyeong , Lee Young-gun , Lee Yoonju , Rhee Yumie , Sohn Young H. , Lee Phil Hyu
Published: November 2022

Parkinson’s disease (PD) and osteoporosis are degenerative diseases that have shared pathomechanisms. To investigate the associations of skull bone density with nigrostriatal dopaminergic degeneration and longitudinal motor prognosis in female patients with PD. We analyzed the data of 260 drug-naïve female PD patients aged ≥50 years old who were followed-up for ≥3 years after their first visit to the clinic with baseline dopamine transporter (DAT) imaging. We measured skull bone density as a surrogate marker for systemic bone loss by calculating the Hounsfield unit (HU) in computed tomography scans. A Cox proportional hazard model was built to compare the rates of levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) or wearing-off according to skull HU. Longitudinal changes in levodopa-equivalent dose (LED) during a 3-year follow-up were assessed using a linear mixed model. A lower skull HU was associated with lower baseline DAT availability in striatal subregions; however, this relationship was not significant after adjusting for age, disease duration, body mass index, and white matter hyperintensities. After adjusting for confounding factors, a lower skull HU was significantly associated with an increased risk of LID development (hazard ratio = 1.660 per 1 standard deviation decrease, p = 0.007) and wearing-off (hazard ratio = 1.613, p = 0.016) in younger (<67 years) but not in older patients. Furthermore, a lower skull HU was associated with a steeper increase in LED during follow-up in younger patients only (β = –21.99, p < 0.001). This study suggests that baseline skull bone density would be closely linked to motor prognosis in drug naïve women with PD.
Prediction of brain age using quantitative parameters of synthetic magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Bao Shasha , Liao Chengde , Xu Nan , Deng Ailin , Luo Yueyuan , Ouyang Zhiqiang , Guo Xiaobin , Liu Yifan , Ke Tengfei , Yang Jun
Published: November 2022

Objective

Brain tissue changes dynamically during aging. The purpose of this study was to use synthetic magnetic resonance imaging (syMRI) to evaluate the changes in relaxation values in different brain regions during brain aging and to construct a brain age prediction model.

Materials and methods

Quantitative MRI was performed on 1,000 healthy people (≥ 18 years old) from September 2020 to October 2021. T1, T2 and proton density (PD) values were simultaneously measured in 17 regions of interest (the cerebellar hemispheric cortex, pons, amygdala, hippocampal head, hippocampal tail, temporal lobe, occipital lobe, frontal lobe, caudate nucleus, lentiform nucleus, dorsal thalamus, centrum semiovale, parietal lobe, precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, substantia nigra, and red nucleus). The relationship between the relaxation values and age was investigated. In addition, we analyzed the relationship between brain tissue values and sex. Finally, the participants were divided into two age groups: < 60 years old and ≥ 60 years old. Logistic regression analysis was carried out on the two groups of data. According to the weight of related factors, a brain age prediction model was established and verified.

Results

We obtained the specific reference value range of different brain regions of individuals in different age groups and found that there were differences in relaxation values in brain tissue between different sexes in the same age group. Moreover, the relaxation values of most brain regions in males were slightly higher than those in females. In the study of age and brain relaxation, it was found that brain relaxation values were correlated with age. The T1 values of the centrum semiovale increased with age, the PD values of the centrum semiovale increased with age, while the T2 values of the caudate nucleus and lentiform nucleus decreased with age. Seven brain age prediction models were constructed with high sensitivity and specificity, among which the combined T1, T2 and PD values showed the best prediction efficiency. In the training set, the area under the curve (AUC), specificity and sensitivity were 0.959 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.945–0.974], 91.51% and 89.36%, respectively. In the test cohort, the above indicators were 0.916 (95% CI: 0.882–0.951), 89.24% and 80.33%, respectively.

Conclusion

Our study provides specific reference ranges of T1, T2, and PD values in different brain regions from healthy adults of different ages. In addition, there are differences in brain relaxation values in some brain regions between different sexes, which help to provide new ideas for brain diseases that differ according to sex. The brain age model based on synthetic MRI is helpful to determine brain age.
GAPCNN with HyPar: Global Average Pooling convolutional neural network with novel NNLU activation function and HYBRID parallelism
Authors: Habib Gousia , Qureshi Shaima
Published: November 2022

With the increasing demand for deep learning in the last few years, CNNs have been widely used in many applications and have gained interest in classification, regression, and image recognition tasks. The training of these deep neural networks is compute-intensive and takes days or even weeks to train the model from scratch. The compute-intensive nature of these deep neural networks sometimes limits the practical implementation of CNNs in real-time applications. Therefore, the computational speedup in these networks is of utmost importance, which generates interest in CNN training acceleration. Much research is going on to meet the computational requirement and make it feasible for real-time applications. Because of its simplicity, data parallelism is used primarily, but it performs badly sometimes. In most cases, researchers prefer model parallelism to data parallelism, but it is not always the best choice. Therefore, in this study, we implement a hybrid of both data and model parallelism to improve the computational speed without compromising accuracy. There is only a 1.5% accuracy drop in our proposed study with an increased speed up of 3.62X. Also, a novel activation function Normalized Non-linear Activation Unit NNLU is proposed to introduce non-linearity in the model. The activation unit is non-saturated and helps avoid the model's over-fitting. The activation unit is free from the vanishing gradient problem. Also, the fully connected layer in the proposed CNN model is replaced by the Global Average Pooling layers (GAP) to enhance the model's accuracy and computational performance. When tested on a bio-medical image dataset, the model achieves an accuracy of 98.89% and requires a training time of only 1 s. The model categorizes medical images into different categories of glioma, meningioma, and pituitary tumor. The model is compared with existing state-of-art techniques, and it is observed that the proposed model outperforms others in classification accuracy and computational speed. Also, results are observed for different optimizers', different learning rates, and various epoch numbers.
Evaluating the validity of a functional electrical stimulation clinical decision making tool: A qualitative study
Authors: Abouzakhm Nathalie , Choy Samantha , Feld Rebecca , Taylor Chris , Carter Kathryn , Degroot Spencer , Musselman Kristin E.
Published: November 2022

Introduction

Following central nervous system damage, the recovery of motor function is a priority. For some neurological populations, functional electrical stimulation (FES) is recommended in best practice guidelines for neurorehabilitation. However, limited resources exist to guide FES application, despite clinicians reporting that a lack of FES knowledge prevents use in clinical practice. The FES Clinical Decision Making Tool was developed to assist clinicians with FES application and translation into clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the content validity of the Tool from the perspectives of Canadian physical and occupational therapists using FES in neurorehabilitation.

Methods

Thirteen participants (twelve women, one man), aged 40.5 ± 10.3 years, participated in individual semi-structured interviews to explore their clinical decision making experiences when applying FES and to evaluate the content validity (i.e., appropriateness, comprehensibility, and comprehensiveness) of the Tool. Interviews were analyzed using a qualitative conventional content analysis following the DEPICT model.

Results

Three themes were identified. 1) Clinician context influences FES usage. Participants' experiences with FES use varied and application was influenced by treatment goals. 2) Parameter selection in clinical practice. Participants identified decision-making strategies and the challenges of parameter selection. 3) With modifications, the Tool is a valid resource to inform FES applications. Participants discussed its strengths, limitations, and suggested changes. While the Tool is useful, a more extensive resource (e.g., appendix) for the Tool is warranted.

Discussion

A revised Tool was created to improve its comprehensiveness and comprehensibility. Thus, the Tool is a valid resource for applying FES in neurorehabilitation.
Effect of moderate beer consumption (with and without ethanol) on osteoporosis in early postmenopausal women: Results of a pilot parallel clinical trial
Authors: Trius-Soler Marta , Tresserra-Rimbau Anna , Moreno Juan J. , Peris Pilar , Estruch Ramon , Lamuela-Raventós Rosa M.
Published: November 2022

Introduction

Osteoporosis is a chronic progressive bone disease characterized by low bone mineral density (BMD) and micro-architectural deterioration of bone tissue, leading to an increase in bone fragility and the risk of fractures. A well-known risk factor for bone loss is postmenopausal status. Beer may have a protective effect against osteoporosis associated with its content of silicon, polyphenols, iso-α-acids and ethanol, and its moderate consumption may therefore help to reduce bone loss in postmenopausal women.

Methods

Accordingly, a 2-year controlled clinical intervention study was conducted to evaluate if a moderate daily intake of beer with (AB) or without alcohol (NAB) could have beneficial effects on bone tissue. A total of 31 postmenopausal women were assigned to three study groups: 15 were administered AB (330 mL/day) and six, NAB (660 mL/day), whereas, the 10 in the control group refrained from consuming alcohol, NAB, and hop-related products. At baseline and subsequent assessment visits, samples of plasma and urine were taken to analyze biochemical parameters, and data on medical history, diet, and exercise were collected. BMD and the trabecular bone score (TBS) were determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Markers of bone formation (bone alkaline phosphatase [BAP] and N-propeptide of type I collagen [PINP]) and bone resorption (N-telopeptide of type I collagen [NTX] and C-telopeptide of type I collagen [CTX]) were determined annually.

Results

Bone formation markers had increased in the AB and NAB groups compared to the control after the 2-year intervention. However, the evolution of BMD and TBS did not differ among the three groups throughout the study period.

Discussion

Therefore, according to the findings of this pilot study, moderate beer intake does not seem to have a protective effect against bone loss in early post-menopausal women.
Effects of folic acid on oxidative damage of kidney in lead-exposed rats
Authors: Li Ning , Wen Liuding , Yu Zengli , Li Tiange , Wang Tianlin , Qiao Mingwu , Song Lianjun , Huang Xianqing
Published: November 2022

Introduction

Lead (Pb) has many applications in daily life, but in recent years, various problems caused by lead exposure have aroused people’s concern. Folic acid is widely found in fruits and has received more attention for its antioxidant function. However, the role of folic acid in lead-induced kidney injury in rats is unclear. This study was designed to investigate the effects of folic acid on oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress in the kidney of rats caused by lead exposure.

Methods

Forty specific pathogen-free male Rattus norvegicus rats were randomly divided into control, lead, intervention, and folic acid groups. The levels of SOD, GSH-Px, GSH, and MDA were measured by biochemical kits. The protein levels of Nrf2, HO-1, CHOP, and GRP78 were measured by immunofluorescence.

Results

This study showed that lead exposure increased the blood levels of lead in mice. However, the intervention of folic acid decreased the levels of lead, but the difference was not statistically significant. Lead exposure causes oxidative stress by decreasing kidney SOD, GSH-Px, and GSH levels and increasing MDA levels. However, folic acid alleviated the oxidative damage caused by lead exposure by increasing the levels of GSH-Px and GSH and decreasing the levels of MDA. Immunofluorescence results showed that folic acid intervention downregulated the upregulation of kidney Nrf2, HO-1, GRP78, and CHOP expression caused by lead exposure.

Discussion

Overall, folic acid alleviates kidney oxidative stress induced by lead exposure by regulating Nrf2 and HO-1, while regulating CHOP and GRP78 to mitigate apoptosis caused by excessive endoplasmic reticulum stress.
The inverse relationship between fatness and bone mineral content is mediated by the adolescent appendicular skeletal muscle mass index: The Cogni-Action Project
Authors: Cristi-Montero Carlos , Peña-Jorquera Humberto , Landaeta-Díaz Leslie , Mello Julio B. , Araya-Quintanilla Felipe , Brand Caroline , Reuter Cézane , Jorquera Carlos , Ferrari Gerson
Published: November 2022

Background

Excess adipose tissue negatively influences bone health during childhood, affecting future bone fragility diseases such as osteoporosis. However, little is known about how adolescent appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI) may mediate the relation between fatness and bone mineral content (BMC).

Methods

The sample comprised 1,296 adolescents (50% girls) aged 10–14. A principal component analysis was performed to obtain a factor made up of four fatness indicators (a) neck circumference, (b) kilograms of fat, (c) visceral fat area, and (d) waist-to-height ratio. BMC, kilograms of fat, visceral fat area, and appendicular skeletal muscle mass were obtained by a multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analyzer. ASMI was calculated as the appendicular skeletal muscle mass divided by height squared (kg/m2). A mediation analysis was performed adjusting by age, sex, maturation, socioeconomic status, physical activity, and adolescents' body weight. We also explore differences by sex and nutritional status.

Results

The fatness factor explained 71.5% of the proportion variance. Fatness was inversely associated with the ASMI and BMC, while the ASMI was positively related to BMC. Overall, the inverse relationship between fatness and BMC was partially mediated by the adolescents' ASMI (29.7%, indirect effect: B= −0.048, 95%CI −0.077 to −0.022), being higher in girls than in boys (32.9 vs. 29.2%). Besides, the mediation effect was higher in adolescents with normal body weight than with overweight-obese (37.6 vs 23.9%, respectively).

Conclusions

This finding highlighted the relevance of promoting healthy habits to reduce fatness and improve muscle mass in adolescents. Moreover, this highlights the central role of ASMI mediating the inverse association between fatness and BMC in female and male adolescents. Public health strategies should promote bone health in childhood, reducing the incidence of early osteopenia and osteoporosis.
Nutritional intervention for diabetes mellitus with Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Li Zhi , Li Simian , Xiao Ying , Zhong Tian , Yu Xi , Wang Ling
Published: November 2022

The combined disease burden of diabetes mellitus (DM) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) is increasing, and the two diseases share some common pathological changes. However, the pharmacotherapeutic approach to this clinical complexity is limited to symptomatic rather than disease-arresting, with the possible exception of metformin. Whether nutritional intervention might extend or synergize with these effects of metformin is of interest. In particular, dietary patterns with an emphasis on dietary diversity shown to affect cognitive function are of growing interest in a range of food cultural settings. This paper presents the association between diabetes and AD. In addition, the cross-cultural nutritional intervention programs with the potential to mitigate both insulin resistance (IR) and hyperglycemia, together with cognitive impairment are also reviewed. Both dietary patterns and nutritional supplementation showed the effects of improving glycemic control and reducing cognitive decline in diabetes associated with AD, but the intervention specificity remained controversial. Multi-nutrient supplements combined with diverse diets may have preventive and therapeutic potential for DM combined with AD, at least as related to the B vitamin group and folate-dependent homocysteine (Hcy). The nutritional intervention has promise in the prevention and management of DM and AD comorbidities, and more clinical studies would be of nutritional scientific merit.
The geriatric nutritional risk index is an effective tool to detect GLIM-defined malnutrition in rectal cancer patients
Authors: Chen Xi-Yi , Lin Yi , Yin Shang-Yu , Shen Ya-Ting , Zhang Xi-Cheng , Chen Ke-Ke , Zhou Chong-Jun , Zheng Chen-Guo
Published: November 2022

Background

This study aimed to investigate the value of the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI), prognostic nutritional index (PNI), and advanced lung cancer inflammation index (ALI) scores in detecting malnutrition in patients with rectal cancer; the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) was used as the reference criterion.

Materials and methods

This study included patients with rectal cancer who underwent proctectomy. GNRI, PNI, and ALI were calculated to detect the GLIM-defined malnutrition using the Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between the nutritional tools and postoperative complications. Kaplan-Meier survival curves, log-rank tests, and univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to clarify the relationship between nutritional tools and overall survival (OS).

Results

This study enrolled 636 patients with rectal cancer. The GNRI demonstrated the highest sensitivity (77.8%), pretty specificity (69.0%), and the largest AUC (0.734). The GNRI showed good property in predicting major postoperative complications. All three nutritional tools were independent predictors of OS.

Conclusion

The GNRI can be used as a promising alternative to the GLIM and is optimal in perioperative management of patients with rectal cancer.
Effectiveness of Borage plus syrup on COVID-19 patients in intensive care units
Authors: Hashemian Seyed MohammadReza , Mortaz Esmaeil , Shafigh Navid , Ziaie Shadi , Jamaati Hamidreza , Hasheminik Morteza , Jamalinik Mehdi , Erfani Raziyeh , Khoundabi Batoul , Dezfuli Neda K. , Varahram Mohammad , Ahmadi Shahrzad , Fahimi Mahdi , Adcock Ian M.
Published: November 2022

Introduction

COVID-19 (coronavirus disease-2019) still causes a high rate of death globally with no definite curative treatment described. The traditional plant Borage (Borago officinalis L.) is a good source of gamma-linolenic (GLA). We hypothesized that Borage plus syrup (BPS) would be beneficial in severe COVID-19 patients within an intensive care unit (ICU) setting.

Materials and methods

A pilot single center, randomized trial with no placebo was undertaken. A total of 60 PCR-positive severe COVID-19 participants admitted to ICU from June 2020–December 2020 at Masih Daneshvari Hospital Tehran-Iran gave informed consent. The participants were randomly assigned to either Borage Plus Syrup (BPS, 5 ml for 5 days) (n = 30) or standard care (IFN-β and favipiravir) as a control group (n = 30). Pao2/Fio2, serum ferritin, CRP, bilirubin, IL-6, TNF-α, ALT, AST, PCT and serum IL-8 was measured upon admission and on release.

Results

All the measured parameters decreased significantly with BPS treatment. In the control group, most parameters significantly improved apart from AST and PCT. In addition, the suppression of serum TNF levels in the BPS group was greater than that seen in the control group (P ≤ 0.05). Moreover, the length of ICU stay was significantly lower in the BPS group compared with the control group (P ≤ 0.05).

Conclusion

Our study shows that addition of BPS to the standard treatment regime of COVID-19 patients in ICU improved outcomes and reduced the length of ICU treatment. Natural products could be considered as new approaches for reducting the harmful consequences of COVID-19.
Neutrophil-albumin ratio as a biomarker for postoperative complications and long-term prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer undergoing surgical treatment
Authors: Xie Hailun , Wei Lishuang , Liu Mingxiang , Liang Yanren , Yuan Guanghui , Gao Shunhui , Wang Qiwen , Lin Xin , Tang Shuangyi , Gan Jialiang
Published: November 2022

Background

To explore the prognostic value of the preoperative neutrophil-albumin ratio (NAR) in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) undergoing surgical treatment.

Materials and methods

The standardized log-rank statistic was used to determine the optimal cut-off value for NAR. A logistic regression model was used to evaluate the value of NAR in predicting postoperative complications. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess the independent association of NAR with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in CRC patients. Restricted cubic splines were used to assess the relationship between continuous NAR and survival in CRC patients. The Kaplan–Meier method and log-rank test were used to compare survival differences between low and high NAR groups. NAR-based prognostic nomograms were constructed to predict the 1–5-year PFS and OS of CRC patients. The concordance index (C-index) and calibration curve were used to evaluate the prognostic accuracy of the nomograms.

Results

A total of 1,441 CRC patients were enrolled from January 2012 to December 2016. There were 904 men (62.7%) and 537 women (37.3%), with an average age of 58.12 ± 13.15 years. High NAR was closely associated with low BMI, advanced pathological stage, colon cancer, large tumors, vascular invasion, poor differentiation, high CEA levels, long hospital stay, and recurrence and metastasis. A high NAR was an independent risk factor for postoperative complications in CRC patients (OR: 2.298, 95% CI: 1.642–3.216, p < 0.001). Patients with a high NAR had worse PFS (40.7 vs. 59.5%, p < 0.001) and OS (42.6 vs. 62.4%, p < 0.001). After adjusting for confounders, high NAR was independently associated with PFS (HR: 1.280, 95% CI: 1.031–1.589, p = 0.025) and OS (HR: 1.280; 95% CI: 1.026–1.596, p = 0.029) in CRC patients. The C-index and calibration curves showed that the NAR-based prognostic nomograms had good predictive accuracy.

Conclusion

High NAR was an independent risk factor for postoperative complications and long-term prognosis of CRC patients. NAR-based research could provide references for prognostic judgment and clinical decision-making of CRC patients.
Genomic characterization of intracranial teratomas using whole genome sequencing
Authors: Zhang Chao , Zhou Xiaoyu , Huang Xiang , Ding Xinghua , Wang Yang , Zhang Rong
Published: November 2022

Background

Intracranial teratoma is a rare neoplasm of the central nervous system, often classified into mature and immature types and occurs mainly in children and adolescents. To date, there has been no comprehensive genomic characterization analysis of teratoma due to its rarity of the cases.

Methods

Forty-six patients with intracranial teratomas were collected and 22 of them underwent whole-exome sequencing, including 8 mature teratomas and 14 immature teratomas. A comprehensive analysis was performed to analyze somatic mutations, copy number variants (CNVs), mutational signatures, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway in our cohort.

Results

The most common somatic mutated gene in intracranial teratomas was CARD11 (18%) and IRS1 (18%), followed by PSMD11, RELN, RRAS2, SMC1A, SYNE1 and ZFHX3, with mutation rates of 14% for the latter six genes. Copy number variation was dominated by amplification, among which ARAF (50%), ATP2B3 (41%), GATA1 (41%), ATP6AP1 (36%), CCND2 (36%) and ZMYM3 (36%) were the most frequently amplified genes. Copy number deletion of SETDB2 and IL2 only appeared in immature teratoma (43% and 36%, respectively), but not in mature teratoma (p = 0.051 and 0.115, respectively). Prognostic analysis showed that TP53 mutations might be associated with poor prognosis of intracranial teratomas patients.

Conclusions

Our study revealed the genetic characteristics of intracranial teratoma which might be valuable for guiding future targeted therapies.
Evaluation of a radiomics nomogram derived from Fluoride-18 PSMA-1007 PET/CT for risk stratification in newly diagnosed prostate cancer
Authors: Wang Zhuonan , Li Yunxuan , Zheng Anqi , Gao Jungang , Yuan Wang , Shen Cong , Bai Lu , Duan Xiaoyi
Published: November 2022

Objective

The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of Fluoride-18 (18F)-PSMA-1007-PET/CT radiomics for the tumor malignancy and clinical risk stratification in primary prostate cancer (PCa).

Materials and Methods

A total of 161 pathological proven PCa patients in a single center were retrospectively analyzed. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA), Gleason Score (GS) and PET/CT indexes (SUVmin, SUVmax, and SUVmean) were compared according to risk stratification. Radiomics features were extracted from PCa 18F-PSMA-1007-PET/CT imaging. The radiomics score integrating all selected parameters and clinicopathologic characteristics was used to construct a binary logistic regression and nomogram classifier. Predictors contained in the individualized prediction nomogram included radiomics score, PSA level and metastasis status.

Results

The radiomics signature, which consisted of 30 selected features, was significantly associated with PSA level and Gleason score (P < 0.001 for both primary and validation cohorts). Predictors contained in the individualized prediction nomogram included radiomics score, PSA level and metastasis status. The model showed good discrimination with an area under the ROC curve of 0.719 for the GS. Combined clinical-radiomic score nomogram had a similar benefit to utilizing the PET/CT radiomic features alone for GS discrimination.

Conclusion

The 18F-PSMA-1007-PET/CT radiomics signature can be used to facilitate preoperative individualized prediction of GS; incorporating the radiomics signature, PSA level, and metastasis status had similar benefits to those of utilizing the PET/CT radiomics features alone.
The effect of chronoradiotherapy on cervical cancer patients: A multicenter randomized controlled study
Authors: Wang Ying , Qiang Wan-Min , Li Jia-Qian , Shen Ao-Mei , Chen Xiao-Cen , Li Xiao-Fang , Zhang Bao-Zhong , Xie Juan , Yan Rong , Li Xiang-Hua , Zhang Zhao-Li , Wang Cui-Ling , Li Lai-You
Published: November 2022

Objectives

To investigate the short-term efficacy and radiotoxicity 3.543of chronoradiotherapy in patients with cervical cancer. We also examined the overall symptom score and quality of life (QOL) of patients who underwent morning radiotherapy and evening radiotherapy.

Methods

We conducted a multicenter randomized controlled trial to compare the effects of morning radiotherapy (9:00–11:00 AM) with evening radiotherapy (7:00–9:00 PM) in cervical cancer patients receiving radiotherapy. From November 2021 to June 2022, 114 cervical cancer patients admitted to eight cancer center hospitals in Tianjin, Chongqing, Hubei, Shanxi, Shandong, Shaanxi, Hebei, and Cangzhou were randomly divided into the morning radiotherapy group (MG; N = 61) and the evening radiotherapy group (EG; N = 53). The short-term efficacy of radiotherapy on cervical cancer patients at different time points and the occurrence of radiotoxicity were explored after patients had undergone radiotherapy.

Results

The total effective response (partial remission [PR] + complete remission [CR]) rate was similar across the two groups (93.5% vs. 96.3%, p > 0.05). However, the incidence of bone marrow suppression and intestinal reaction in the two groups were significantly different (p < 0.05). The patients in the MG had significantly higher Anderson symptom scores than patients in the EG (21.64 ± 7.916 vs. 18.53 ± 4.098, p < 0.05). In terms of physical activity, functional status, and overall QOL, the MG had significantly lower scores than the EG (p < 0.05). No other measures showed a significant difference between the groups.

Conclusion

The radiotherapy effect of the MG was consistent with that of the EG. The incidence of radiation enteritis and radiation diarrhea in the MG was significantly higher than that in the EG; however, bone marrow suppression and blood toxicity in the EG were more serious than in the MG. Because of the small sample size of the study, we only examined the short-term efficacy of radiotherapy. Therefore, further clinical trials are needed to verify the efficacy and side effects of chronoradiotherapy.

Clinical Trial Registration

http://www.chictr.org.cn/searchproj.aspx, Registration Number: ChiCTR2100047140.
Immune-related keratitis is a rare complication associated with nivolumab treatment in a patient with advanced colorectal cancer: A case report
Authors: Su Yuqi , Li Guoquan , Xu Jiaxin , Zheng Jiale , Jiao Jiapeng , Zhang Jianhui , Gu Xiaokang , Cai Zhai , Luo Hongyu , Li Zhou , Han Shuai
Published: November 2022

Background

Immunotherapy has been widely used to treat Colorectal cancer but has also observe some immune-related adverse effects. With proper treatment, most irAE can be solved and the effect of immunotherapy will not be affected by temporary immunosuppression. However, there are few reports about corneal irAE, and the current understanding of irAE is incomplete. Here we report a metastatic colorectal cancer case of immune-related keratitis caused by nivolumab and to explore the occurrence of immune-related keratitis.

Case description

Here we report the case of a 49-year-old man with mCRC who had no previous ocular disease but developed immune-related ulcerative keratitis after treatment with nivolumab. We summarize a large amount of literature to discuss the mechanism of immune-related keratitis. In addition, we conclude a method that may be used to detect the occurrence of immune keratitis, by monitoring MMPs and maspin in patients treated with nivolumab. We believe immune-related keratitis may be a rare complication of nivolumab in the treatment of mCRC. The effect of simple anti-infective therapy and repair-promoting drugs was not obvious, but the effect of glucocorticoid combined with autologous serum was significant.

Conclusion

The mechanism of immune-related keratitis is that nivolumab destroys the immune microenvironment and ACAID, and affects corneal healing. Patients who use nivolumab can prevent immune keratitis by testing MMPs and maspin. The occurrence of immune keratitis may be a good indicator of the efficacy of ICI, and further study can be done in the follow-up.
Ferroptosis in osteosarcoma: A promising future
Authors: Liu Xiang , Du Shaowen , Wang Shengdong , Ye Kaishan
Published: November 2022

The incidence of osteosarcoma (OS) is increasing year by year, and the prognosis of patients with advanced OS is extremely poor due to the tendency of recurrence and chemotherapy resistance after surgery. Ferroptosis is a novel form of programmed cell death (PCD) that kills cells through iron-dependent lipid peroxidation. Current studies have shown that ferroptosis is closely related to OS and could reduce chemotherapy resistance to a certain extent, which has great therapeutic potential. In this paper, we review the regulatory mechanism of ferroptosis and its research progress in OS, hoping to provide new help for the clinical treatment of OS.
Overcoming the therapeutic resistance of hepatomas by targeting the tumor microenvironment
Authors: Zhang Jiaxin , Han Huiqiong , Wang Lei , Wang Wenjia , Yang Mei , Qin Yanru
Published: November 2022

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for the majority of primary liver cancers and is the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Multifactorial drug resistance is regarded as the major cause of treatment failure in HCC. Accumulating evidence shows that the constituents of the tumor microenvironment (TME), including cancer-associated fibroblasts, tumor vasculature, immune cells, physical factors, cytokines, and exosomes may explain the therapeutic resistance mechanisms in HCC. In recent years, anti-angiogenic drugs and immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown satisfactory results in HCC patients. However, due to enhanced communication between the tumor and TME, the effect of heterogeneity of the microenvironment on therapeutic resistance is particularly complicated, which suggests a more challenging research direction. In addition, it has been reported that the three-dimensional (3D) organoid model derived from patient biopsies is more intuitive to fully understand the role of the TME in acquired resistance. Therefore, in this review, we have focused not only on the mechanisms and targets of therapeutic resistance related to the contents of the TME in HCC but also provide a comprehensive description of 3D models and how they contribute to the exploration of HCC therapies.
Development of artificial neural network models for paediatric critical illness in South Africa
Authors: Pienaar Michael A. , Sempa Joseph B. , Luwes Nicolaas , George Elizabeth C. , Brown Stephen C.
Published: November 2022

Objectives

Failures in identification, resuscitation and appropriate referral have been identified as significant contributors to avoidable severity of illness and mortality in South African children. In this study, artificial neural network models were developed to predict a composite outcome of death before discharge from hospital or admission to the PICU. These models were compared to logistic regression and XGBoost models developed on the same data in cross-validation.

Design

Prospective, analytical cohort study.

Setting

A single centre tertiary hospital in South Africa providing acute paediatric services.

Patients

Children, under the age of 13 years presenting to the Paediatric Referral Area for acute consultations.

Outcomes

Predictive models for a composite outcome of death before discharge from hospital or admission to the PICU.

Interventions

None.

Measurements and main results

765 patients were included in the data set with 116 instances (15.2%) of the study outcome. Models were developed on three sets of features. Two derived from sequential floating feature selection (one inclusive, one parsimonious) and one from the Akaike information criterion to yield 9 models. All developed models demonstrated good discrimination on cross-validation with mean ROC AUCs greater than 0.8 and mean PRC AUCs greater than 0.53. ANN1, developed on the inclusive feature-et demonstrated the best discrimination with a ROC AUC of 0.84 and a PRC AUC of 0.64 Model calibration was variable, with most models demonstrating weak calibration. Decision curve analysis demonstrated that all models were superior to baseline strategies, with ANN1 demonstrating the highest net benefit.

Conclusions

All models demonstrated satisfactory performance, with the best performing model in cross-validation being an ANN model. Given the good performance of less complex models, however, these models should also be considered, given their advantage in ease of implementation in practice. An internal validation study is now being conducted to further assess performance with a view to external validation.