bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Regulation of secretory pathway kinase or kinase-like proteins in human cancers
Authors: Du Shaonan , Zhu Chen , Ren Xiaolin , Chen Xin , Cui Xiao , Guan Shu
Published: February 2023

Secretory pathway kinase or kinase-like proteins (SPKKPs) are effective in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), Golgi apparatus (GA), and extracellular space. These proteins are involved in secretory signaling pathways and are distinctive from typical protein kinases. Various reports have shown that SPKKPs regulate the tumorigenesis and progression of human cancer via the phosphorylation of various substrates, which is essential in physiological and pathological processes. Emerging evidence has revealed that the expression of SPKKPs in human cancers is regulated by multiple factors. This review summarizes the current understanding of the contribution of SPKKPs in tumorigenesis and the progression of immunity. With the epidemic trend of immunotherapy, targeting SPKKPs may be a novel approach to anticancer therapy. This study briefly discusses the recent advances regarding SPKKPs.
Species distribution models describe spatial variability in mesopelagic fish abundance in the Southern Ocean
Authors: Woods Briannyn L. , Van de Putte Anton P. , Hindell Mark A. , Raymond Ben , Saunders Ryan A. , Walters Andrea , Trebilco Rowan
Published: February 2023

Introduction

Mesopelagic fishes play a central role in the transfer of energy through open-ocean food webs, particularly in the Southern Ocean where they are both important predators of zooplankton and a key prey group for many higher predators. However, they are notoriously difficult to sample, which has limited our understanding of the bio-physical predictors of their abundance and spatiotemporal variability. Species distribution models can be used to help understand species’ ecological requirements by relating records of their presence or abundance to environmental data.

Methods

Here, we used data from Myctobase – a new circumpolar database of mesopelagic fishes – to model patterns in abundance of eight key myctophid species (family Myctophidae) and the genus Bathylagus in the Southern Ocean south of 45°S. We developed species-specific boosted regression tree models to obtain circumpolar predictions of abundance. Average daytime and night-time summer predictions for the period 1997 to 2011 at 0 to 200m depths were generated for each species.

Results

Depth and solar position were important predictors and species were stratified in their depth distribution. For all species, except for G. nicholsi, there was an interaction between depth of capture and solar position, reflecting diel vertical migration. Other important variables included sea surface temperature, dissolved oxygen at 200 m, chlorophyll a, and sea surface height, indicating an association with water mass properties. Circumpolar patterns of abundance varied between species with some displaying affinities for oceanic regions at Antarctic latitudes (e.g., E. antarctica and Bathylagus spp.) or sub-Antarctic latitudes (e.g., K. anderssoni and P. tenisoni); and affinities for shelf regions (e.g., P. boliniand G. nicholsi).

Discussion

Our findings suggest that the abundance of mesopelagic fish is influenced by diel vertical migration and meso- and sub-mesoscale oceanographic features, with the Polar Front being a major delimiting feature. Our study showed contrasting patterns in community composition with higher species diversity north of the Polar Front that might be indicative of latitudinal variability in food web structure. Our spatial analysis is an important step toward resolving what determines important habitat for mesopelagic fishes, providing foundational information for understanding shifting food web dynamics into the future.
Where does Arctic beach debris come from? Analyzing debris composition and provenance on Svalbard aided by citizen scientists
Authors: Meyer Anna Natalie , Lutz Birgit , Bergmann Melanie
Published: February 2023

Plastic debris is ubiquitous in all ecosystems and has even reached locations that humans will hardly reach such as the deep ocean floor and the atmosphere. Research has highlighted that plastic debris is now pervasive even in remote Arctic regions. While modeling projections indicated local sources and long-distance transport as causes, empirical data about its origin and sources are scarce. Data collected by citizen scientists can increase the scale of observations, especially in such remote regions. Here, we report abundance and composition data of marine debris collected by citizen scientists on 14 remote Arctic beaches on the Spitsbergen archipelago. In addition, citizen scientists collected three large, industrial sized canvas bags (hereafter: big packs), filled with beached debris, of which composition, sources and origin were determined. A total debris mass of 1,620 kg was collected on about 38,000 m2 (total mean = 41.83 g m-2, SEM = ± 31.62). In terms of abundance, 23,000 pieces of debris were collected on 25,500 m2 (total mean = 0.37 items of debris m-2, SEM = ± 0.17). Although most items were plastic in both abundance and mass, fisheries waste, such as nets, rope, and large containers, dominated in mass (87%), and general plastics, such as packaging and plastic articles, dominated in abundance (80%). Fisheries-related debris points to local sea-based sources from vessels operating in the Arctic and nearby. General plastics could point to both land- and ship based sources, as household items are also used on ships and debris can be transported to the north via the oceans current. Overall, 1% of the items (206 out of 14,707 pieces) collected in two big packs (2017 and 2021), bore imprints or labels allowing an analysis of their origin. If the categories ‘global’ and ‘English language’ were excluded, most of identifiable items originated from Arctic states (65%), especially from Russia (32%) and Norway (16%). But almost a third of the items (30%) was of European provenance, especially from Germany (8%). Five percent originated from more distant sources (e.g. USA, China, Korea, Brazil). Global measures such as an efficient and legally binding plastic treaty with improved upstream measures and waste management are urgently needed, to lower the amount of plastic entering our environments and in turn lifting the pressure on the Arctic region and its sensitive biota.
A Part-based Deep Learning Network for identifying individual crabs using abdomen images
Authors: Wu Chenjie , Xie Zhijun , Chen Kewei , Shi Ce , Ye Yangfang , Xin Yu , Zarei Roozbeh , Huang Guangyan
Published: February 2023

Crabs, such as swimming crabs and mud crabs, are famous for their high nutritional value but are difficult to preserve. Thus, the traceability of crabs is vital for food safety. Existing deep-learning methods can be applied to identify individual crabs. However, there is no previous study that used abdomen images to identify individual crabs. In this paper, we provide a novel Part-based Deep Learning Network (PDN) to reliably identify an individual crab from its abdomen images captured under various conditions. In our PDN, we developed three non-overlapping and three overlapping partitions strategies of the abdomen image and further designed a part attention block. A swimming crab (Crab-201) dataset with the abdomen images of 201 swimming crabs and a more complex mud crab dataset (Crab-146) were collected to train and test the proposed PDN. Experimental results show that the proposed PDN using the overlapping partition strategy is better than the non-overlapping partition strategy. The edge texture of the abdomen has more identifiable features than the sulciform texture of the lower part of the abdomen. It also demonstrates that the proposed PDN_OS3, which emphasizes the edge texture of the abdomen with overlapping partition strategies, is more reliable and accurate than the counterpart methods to identify an individual crab.
Gastrointestinal disorders and intestinal bacteria: Advances in research and applications in therapy
Authors: Ohkusa Toshifumi , Nishikawa Yuriko , Sato Nobuhiro
Published: February 2023

Intestinal bacteria coexist with humans and play a role in suppressing the invasion of pathogens, producing short-chain fatty acids, producing vitamins, and controlling the immune system. Studies have been carried out on culturable bacterial species using bacterial culture methods for many years. However, as metagenomic analysis of bacterial genes has been developed since the 1990s, it has recently revealed that many bacteria in the intestine cannot be cultured and that approximately 1,000 species and 40 trillion bacteria are present in the gut microbiota. Furthermore, the composition of the microbiota is different in each disease state compared with the healthy state, and dysbiosis has received much attention as a cause of various diseases. Regarding gastrointestinal diseases, dysbiosis has been reported to be involved in inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Recent findings have also suggested that dysbiosis is involved in colon cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, esophageal cancer, and so on. This review focuses on the relationship between the gut microbiota and gastrointestinal/hepatobiliary diseases and also discusses new therapies targeting the gut microbiota.
Functional link between sarcoidosis-associated gene variants and quantitative levels of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cell types
Authors: Abo Al Hayja Muntasir , Kullberg Susanna , Eklund Anders , Padyukov Leonid , Grunewald Johan , Rivera Natalia V.
Published: February 2023

Background

Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease that affects multiple organs. Cell analysis from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) is a valuable tool in the diagnostic workup and differential diagnosis of sarcoidosis. Besides the expansion of lymphocyte expression-specific receptor segments (Vα2.3 and Vβ22) in some patients with certain HLA types, the relation between sarcoidosis susceptibility and BAL cell populations’ quantitative levels is not well-understood.

Methods

Quantitative levels defined by cell concentrations of BAL cells and CD4+/CD8+ ratio were evaluated together with genetic variants associated with sarcoidosis in 692 patients with extensive clinical data. Genetic variants associated with clinical phenotypes, Löfgren’s syndrome (LS) and non-Löfgren’s syndrome (non-LS), were examined separately. An association test via linear regression using an additive model adjusted for sex, age, and correlated cell type was applied. To infer the biological function of genetic associations, enrichment analysis of expression quantitative trait (eQTLs) across publicly available eQTL databases was conducted.

Results

Multiple genetic variants associated with sarcoidosis were significantly associated with quantitative levels of BAL cells. Specifically, LS genetic variants, mainly from the HLA locus, were associated with quantitative levels of BAL macrophages, lymphocytes, CD3+ cells, CD4+ cells, CD8+ cells, CD4+/CD8+ ratio, neutrophils, basophils, and eosinophils. Non-LS genetic variants were associated with quantitative levels of BAL macrophages, CD8+ cells, basophils, and eosinophils. eQTL enrichment revealed an influence of sarcoidosis-associated SNPs and regulation of gene expression in the lung, blood, and immune cells.

Conclusion

Genetic variants associated with sarcoidosis are likely to modulate quantitative levels of BAL cell types and may regulate gene expression in immune cell populations. Thus, the role of sarcoidosis-associated gene-variants may be to influence cellular phenotypes underlying the disease immunopathology.
Antibiotic use during coronavirus disease 2019 intensive care unit shape multidrug resistance bacteriuria: A Swedish longitudinal prospective study
Authors: Karlsson Philip A. , Pärssinen Julia , Danielsson Erik A. , Fatsis-Kavalopoulos Nikos , Frithiof Robert , Hultström Michael , Lipcsey Miklos , Järhult Josef D. , Wang Helen
Published: February 2023

Objectives

High frequency of antimicrobial prescription and the nature of prolonged illness in COVID-19 increases risk for complicated bacteriuria and antibiotic resistance. We investigated risk factors for bacteriuria in the ICU and the correlation between antibiotic treatment and persistent bacteria.

Methods

We conducted a prospective longitudinal study with urine from indwelling catheters of 101 ICU patients from Uppsala University Hospital, Sweden. Samples were screened and isolates confirmed with MALDI-TOF and whole genome sequencing. Isolates were analyzed for AMR using broth microdilution. Clinical data were assessed for correlation with bacteriuria.

Results

Length of stay linearly correlated with bacteriuria (R2 = 0.99, p ≤ 0.0001). 90% of patients received antibiotics, primarily the beta-lactams (76%) cefotaxime, piperacillin-tazobactam, and meropenem. We found high prevalence of Enterococcus (42%) being associated with increased cefotaxime prescription. Antibiotic-susceptible E. coli were found to cause bacteriuria despite concurrent antibiotic treatment when found in co-culture with Enterococcus.

Conclusion

Longer stays in ICUs increase the risk for bacteriuria in a predictable manner. Likely, high use of cefotaxime drives Enterococcus prevalence, which in turn permit co-colonizing Gram-negative bacteria. Our results suggest biofilms in urinary catheters as a reservoir of pathogenic bacteria with the potential to develop and disseminate AMR.
Virulence potential of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolates from COVID-19 patients on mechanical ventilation: The first report from Serbia
Authors: Novović Katarina , Kuzmanović Nedeljković Snežana , Poledica Mirjana , Nikolić Gordana , Grujić Bojana , Jovčić Branko , Kojić Milan , Filipić Brankica
Published: February 2023

Since the WHO declared the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, the disease has spread rapidly leading to overload of the health system and many of the patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 needed to be admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Around 10% of patients with the severe manifestation of COVID-19 need noninvasive or invasive mechanical ventilation, which represent a risk factor for Acinetobacter baumannii superinfection. The 64 A. baumannii isolates were recovered from COVID-19 patients admitted to ICU at General Hospital “Dr Laza K. Lazarević” Šabac, Serbia, during the period from December 2020 to February 2021. All patients required mechanical ventilation and mortality rate was 100%. The goal of this study was to evaluate antibiotic resistance profiles and virulence potential of A. baumannii isolates recovered from patients with severe form of COVID-19 who had a need for mechanical ventilation. All tested A. baumannii isolates (n = 64) were sensitive to colistin, while resistant to meropenem, imipenem, gentamicin, tobramycin, and levofloxacin according to the broth microdilution method and MDR phenotype was confirmed. In all tested isolates, representatives of international clone 2 (IC2) classified by multiplex PCR for clonal lineage identification, blaAmpC, blaOXA-51, and blaOXA-23 genes were present, as well as ISAba1 insertion sequence upstream of blaOXA-23. Clonal distribution of one dominant strain was found, but individual strains showed phenotypic differences in the level of antibiotic resistance, biofilm formation, and binding to mucin and motility. According to PFGE, four isolates were sequenced and antibiotic resistance genes as well as virulence factors genes were analyzed in these genomes. The results of this study represent the first report on virulence potential of MDR A. baumannii from hospital in Serbia.
Pan-cancer integrated bioinformatics analysis reveals cuproptosis related gene FDX1 is a potential prognostic and immunotherapeutic biomarker for lower-grade gliomas
Authors: Huang Wei , Wu Yuliang , Zhu Jihui , Luo Ning , Wang Chunyan , Liu Shupeng , Cheng Zhongping
Published: February 2023

FDX1 participates in cuproptosis, a copper-dependent cell death mode, which might influence tumor progressions like ferroptosis and pyroptosis. However, the role of FDX1 in tumors remains to be explored. This study investigated FDX1 expression features, and correlations to prognosis, tumor stages, immune microenvironment, and cuproptosis from a pan-cancer perspective based on integrated bioinformatics. FDX1 mRNA and clinical data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx), and Broad Institute Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) databases. Differential expression of FDX1 in tumor stages was performed on GEPIA2.0. Cox proportional hazard regression and survival curve were used to analyze the prognostic value of FDX1. The relationships between FDX1 expression and immune infiltration, immune cells, immune checkpoints, tumor mutation burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), mismatch repair (MMR), and DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) were explored. GSEA was utilized to find the biological function of FDX1 in LGG. Results showed that FDX1 was abnormally expressed in multiple tumor types and demonstrated variability in various tumor stages. Survival analysis revealed FDX1 predicted poor prognosis in glioma (GBMLGG), brain lower-grade glioma (LGG), and good prognosis in the pan-kidney cohort (KIPAN), and kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC). Immune correlation analysis suggested FDX1 showed positive correlations to StromalScore, ImmuneScore, ESTIMATEScore in LGG and negative correlation in KIRC. Additionally, positive correlations were observed between FDX1 and immune cells infiltration, immune checkpoints, tumor stemness, homologous recombination deficiency (HRD), and TMB in LGG in the pan-cancer analysis. Validation with CGGA suggested prognostic value and immune correlation of FDX1 in LGG. Specifically, high expression of FDX1 was accompanied by high expression of immune checkpoints such as CD276 (B7-H3), CD274 (PD-L1), PDCD1LG2 (PD-L2), CTLA4, and HAVCR2. These findings illustrated that FDX1 might be considered a potential poor prognosis biomarker and immunotherapy predictor in LGG.
Emotion regulation mediates the relationship between family caregivers’ pain-related beliefs and patients’ coping strategies
Authors: Alinajimi Fatemeh , Deldar Zoha , Dehghani Mohsen , Khatibi Ali
Published: February 2023

Background: In order to tailor more effective interventions and minimize the burden of chronic pain, it is critical to identify the interaction and contribution of social and psychological factors in pain. One of the important psychological factors in pain management is related to the choice of pain coping strategies in chronic pain patients. Social resources, including family caregivers’ pain attitudes-beliefs, can influence pain coping strategies in chronic pain patients. Moreover, one key factor that may intervene in the relationship between caregivers’ pain attitudes-beliefs and the patients’ coping strategies is the emotion regulation strategies. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of emotion regulation strategies of chronic pain patients and their family caregivers on the association between caregivers’ pain attitudes-beliefs and pain coping strategies of chronic pain patients.

Methods: We recruited 200 chronic musculoskeletal pain patients and their family caregivers. Chronic pain patients responded to measures of pain coping and emotion regulation strategies while family caregivers completed questionnaires related to their attitude toward pain and emotion regulation of themselves.

Results: There is an association between caregivers’ pain attitudes-beliefs and pain coping strategies in patients with chronic musculoskeletal. Moreover, the structural equation modeling revealed that the emotion regulation of both patients and family caregivers mediate the relationship between the caregivers’ pain attitudes-beliefs and pain coping strategies of patients with chronic musculoskeletal.

Conclusions: The social context of pain, including the effect of family caregivers’ responses to the patient’s pain, is a critical pain source that is suggested to affect coping strategies in patients. These findings suggest an association between pain attitudes-beliefs in family caregivers and pain coping strategies in patients. Moreover, these results showed that the emotion regulation of both patients and their family caregivers mediates this association.
The role of ONSD in the assessment of headache associated with Chiari malformation type 1
Authors: Karadag Mehmet Kürşat , Akyuz Mehmet Emin , Sahin Mehmet Hakan
Published: February 2023

Background

Cough associated headache is the most common symptom in Chiari malformation type 1 (CM1). However, its pathophysiology and treatment are not clear. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD), an indicator of intracranial pressure, and headache and to investigate its predictive value on postoperative outcome.

Methods

In symptomatic CM1 patients, craniovertebral junction morphometric measurements and ONSD measurements were made from preoperative MR images, and headache intensities and characteristics were evaluated. After different surgical procedures, the clinical characteristics of the patients were evaluated according to the Chicago Chiari Outcome Scale, the change in headache intensity was assessed and the relationship with ONSD was evaluated.

Results

Preoperative headache intensity was significantly correlated with ONSD measurement (p < 0.01). Modified clivoaxial angle and ONSD were independent predictors of postoperative clinical outcome (p < 0.01). The procedure that achieved the greatest surgical enlargement of the foramen Magnum stenosis provided the best clinical outcome. Postoperative reduction in headache intensity and ONS diameter were correlated (p < 0.01).

Conclusion

The fact that ONSD is found to be wide in the preoperative period in CM1 patients indicates that the intracranial pressure is permanently high. This diameter increase is correlated with headache and is a valuable guide in the selection of the appropriate treatment method.
Prebiotic mechanisms of resistant starches from dietary beans and pulses on gut microbiome and metabolic health in a humanized murine model of aging
Authors: Kadyan Saurabh , Park Gwoncheol , Singh Prashant , Arjmandi Bahram , Nagpal Ravinder
Published: February 2023

Dietary pulses, being a rich source of fiber and proteins, offer an ideal and inexpensive food choice for older adults to promote gut and metabolic health. However, the prebiotic effects of dietary pulses-derived resistant starches (RS), compared to RS from cereals and tubers, remain relatively underexplored, particularly in context to their gut modulatory potential in old age. We herein investigate the prebiotic effects of pulses-derived RS on the gut microbiome and intestinal health in aged (60-week old) mice colonized with human microbiota. C57B6/J mice were fed for 20 weeks with either a western-style high-fat diet (control; CTL) or CTL diet supplemented (5% w/w) with RS from pinto beans (PTB), black-eyed-peas (BEP), lentils (LEN), chickpeas (CKP), or inulin (INU; reference control). We find that the RS supplementation modulates gut microbiome in a sex-dependent manner. For instance, CKP enriched α-diversity only in females, while β-diversity deviated for both sexes. Further, different RS groups exhibited distinct microbiome differences at bacterial phyla and genera levels. Notably, LEN fostered Firmicutes and depleted Proteobacteria abundance, whereas Bacteroidota was promoted by CKP and INU. Genus Dubosiella increased dominantly in males for all groups except PTB, whilst Faecalibaculum decreased in females by CKP and INU groups. Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) and correlational analyzes reveal RS-mediated upregulation of key bacterial genera associated with short-chain fatty acids (butyrate) production and suppression of specific pathobionts. Subsequent machine-learning analysis validate decreased abundance of notorious genera, namely, Enterococcus, Odoribacter, Desulfovibrio, Alistipes and Erysipelatoclostridium among RS groups. CKP and LEN groups partly protected males against post-prandial glycemia. Importantly, RS ameliorated high-fat diet-induced gut hyperpermeability and enhanced expression of tight-junction proteins (claudin-1 and claudin-4), which were more pronounced for LEN. In addition, IL10 upregulation was more prominent for LEN, while TNF-α was downregulated by LEN, CKP, and INU. Together, these findings demonstrate that RS supplementation beneficially modulates the gut microbiome with a reduction in gut leakiness and inflammation, indicating their prebiotic potential for functional food and nutritional applications.
Impact of tea leaves categories on physicochemical, antioxidant, and sensorial profiles of tea wine
Authors: Zou Chun , Chen De-Quan , He Hua-Feng , Huang Yi-Bin , Feng Zhi-Hui , Chen Jian-Xin , Wang Fang , Xu Yong-Quan , Yin Jun-Feng
Published: February 2023

Introduction

Tea is the main raw material for preparing tea wine.

Methods

In this research, four types of tea wine were prepared using different categories of tea leaves, including green tea, oolong tea, black tea, and dark tea, and the comparative study looking their physicochemical, sensorial, and antioxidant profiles were carried out.

Results

The dynamic changes of total soluble solids, amino acids and ethanol concentrations, and pH were similar in four tea wines. The green tea wine (GTW) showed the highest consumption of total soluble solids and amino acids, and produced the highest concentrations of alcohol, malic, succinic, and lactic acid among all tea wines. The analysis of volatile components indicated the number and concentration of esters and alcohols increased significantly after fermentation of tea wines. GTW presented the highest volatile concentration, while oolong tea wine (OTW) showed the highest number of volatile compounds. GTW had the highest total catechins concentration of 404 mg/L and the highest ABTS value (1.63 mmol TEAC/mL), while OTW showed the highest DPPH value (1.00 mmol TEAC/mL). Moreover, OTW showed the highest score of sensory properties.

Discussion

Therefore, the types of tea leaves used in the tea wine production interfere in its bioactive composition, sensorial, and antioxidant properties.
Safety and efficacy of stereotactic ablative brachytherapy as a salvage therapy for recurrent chest wall cancer: A retrospective, multicenter study
Authors: Huo Bin , Ji Zhe , He Chuang , Yang Wanying , Ma Yanli , Huo Xiaodong , Wang Zhe , Zhao Xinxin , Dai Jinchao , Wang Haitao , Chen Guanglie , Wang Ruoyu , Song Yuqing , Zhang Kaixian , Huang Xuequan , Chai Shude , Wang Junjie
Published: February 2023

Purpose

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of stereotactic ablative brachytherapy (SABT) as a salvage therapy for patients with recurrent chest wall cancer (rCWC) who have previously received external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) or surgery.

Materials and methods

Between November 2013 and October 2020, a total of 130 patients (including 75 men with a median age of 63 years) with rCWC treated with SABT were enrolled in this multicenter retrospective study. There were 97 cases of non-small-cell lung carcinoma, 24 cases of breast cancer, and 9 cases of thymic cancer. Of the patients included, 102 patients previously received surgery and 58 patients received EBRT, with systemic treatment progressing after recurrence. None of them were suitable or refused to undergo salvage EBRT or surgery again.

Results

During the 22 (4–70)-month median patient follow-up, 59 patients died. The local control (LC) rates at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months were 88.3%, 74.3%, 50.4%, and 36.7%, respectively. The 1-, 2- and 3-year survival rates were 85%, 56%, and 42%, respectively. The median overall survival was 26 months (95% CI, 18.9–33.1 months). The pain relief rate was 81%, and the median to remission time was 10 days. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that independent prognostic factors for LC included tumor size and postoperative D90. On the other hand, independent prognostic factors for survival include the Karnofsky performance status (KPS) score, tumor size, and D90 19 patients (14.6%) developed grade I/II skin reaction complications. No grade III or severer complications occurred.

Conclusion

SABT is safe and effective as a salvage therapy for rCWC following EBRT/surgery. For patients with a KPS score greater than 80, prescribed dose greater than 130 Gy, and tumor size less than 4 cm may bring better results.
Pharyngoesophageal diverticulum mimicking thyroid nodules: Some interesting ultrasonographic signs
Authors: Bai Zhiqun , Wang Xuemei , Zhang Zhen
Published: February 2023

Objective

To analyze the ultrasonographic features of pharyngoesophageal diverticulum (PED) mimicking thyroid nodules and to explore the clinical value of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of PED.

Method

The sonographic findings of 68 patients with PED were retrospectively reviewed. According to the diverticulum echo intensity characteristics, the lesions were divided into solid nodular diverticulum, gas-containing nodular diverticulum, liquid-containing nodular diverticulum, and atypical diverticular changes; and the ultrasonographic manifestations were compared among the four groups.

Results

30/68 were solid nodular diverticula. The diverticulum cavity was oval or elliptic with a clear border, and the diverticulum wall suggested exhibited a typical hyper-hypo-hyper-echogenic pattern. The diverticulum wall and esophageal wall were seen to be continuous if multiple sections were scanned, and hypoechoic walls showed punctate blood flow. 29/68 diagnosed with air-containing nodular diverticulum, lesions appeared with gas-like hyper-echogenicity internally, with some amount of gas and change in the tail pattern during swallowing. 6/68 patients were diagnosed with liquid-containing nodular diverticulum, and the main ultrasonic manifestations were an anechoic internal diverticulum cavity that was clearly bounded from the thyroid but continuous with the esophageal wall, with a typical hyper-hypo-echoless pattern from the outside to the inside. Another 3/68 were found to have atypical diverticular changes, regional convexities of the esophageal wall with unfashioned nodules. The convex segment was continuous with the hyper-hypo-echogenic esophageal wall and could be seen on slitting scanning.

Conclusion

Overall, PEDs mimicking thyroid nodules have specific ultrasonographic features. Familiarity with them can avoid missed diagnoses and misdiagnoses.
A bibliometric and visual analysis of publications on artificial intelligence in colorectal cancer (2002-2022)
Authors: Huang Pan , Feng Zongfeng , Shu Xufeng , Wu Ahao , Wang Zhonghao , Hu Tengcheng , Cao Yi , Tu Yi , Li Zhengrong
Published: February 2023

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC) has the third-highest incidence and second-highest mortality rate of all cancers worldwide. Early diagnosis and screening of CRC have been the focus of research in this field. With the continuous development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, AI has advantages in many aspects of CRC, such as adenoma screening, genetic testing, and prediction of tumor metastasis.

Objective

This study uses bibliometrics to analyze research in AI in CRC, summarize the field’s history and current status of research, and predict future research directions.

Method

We searched the SCIE database for all literature on CRC and AI. The documents span the period 2002-2022. we used bibliometrics to analyze the data of these papers, such as authors, countries, institutions, and references. Co-authorship, co-citation, and co-occurrence analysis were the main methods of analysis. Citespace, VOSviewer, and SCImago Graphica were used to visualize the results.

Result

This study selected 1,531 articles on AI in CRC. China has published a maximum number of 580 such articles in this field. The U.S. had the most quality publications, boasting an average citation per article of 46.13. Mori Y and Ding K were the two authors with the highest number of articles. Scientific Reports, Cancers, and Frontiers in Oncology are this field’s most widely published journals. Institutions from China occupy the top 9 positions among the most published institutions. We found that research on AI in this field mainly focuses on colonoscopy-assisted diagnosis, imaging histology, and pathology examination.

Conclusion

AI in CRC is currently in the development stage with good prospects. AI is currently widely used in colonoscopy, imageomics, and pathology. However, the scope of AI applications is still limited, and there is a lack of inter-institutional collaboration. The pervasiveness of AI technology is the main direction of future housing development in this field.
Primary spinal anaplastic ependymoma: A single-institute retrospective cohort and systematic review
Authors: Wu Liang , Wang Li’ao , Zou Wanjing , Yang Jun , Jia Wenqing , Xu Yulun
Published: February 2023

Objective

Primary spinal anaplastic ependymoma (PSAE) is an extremely rare disease. We aim to report the largest PSAE cohort, evaluate the treatments, and investigate the prognostic factors for progression-free survival (PFS).

Methods

Clinical data collected from the authors’ institute and literature articles were pooled and described. Survival analysis and multivariable Cox regression analysis were performed to evaluate therapies and investigate prognostic factors for PFS.

Results

Our cohort included 22 females and 16 males, with a median age of 33 years. PSAE developed mostly on cervical and cervicothoracic levels. The median length measured 3 segments. Half of PSAE were intramedullary. Pain was the most common symptom. The median duration of symptoms was 6 months. Neurological statuses were improved in 76% following treatments, whereas clinical tumor progression occurred in 41.7%. The estimated median progression-free survival was 132 months, and the estimated median survival was 192 months. The median Ki-67 index was 15%. Patients aged less than or equal to 25 experienced worse neurological statuses and more repeated progression. Age less than or equal to 25 (HR 10.312, 95%CI 1.535-69.260, p=0.016), gross total resection (HR 0.116, 95%CI 0.020-0.688, p=0.018), and radiotherapy (HR 0.084, 95%CI 0.009-0.804, p=0.032) are three prognostic factors for tumor progression.

Conclusion

Tumor progression remains a big concern in the clinical course of PSAE. Being aged above 25, undergoing GTR, and accepting adjuvant radiotherapy put patients at lower risk for tumor progression. Younger patients might have worse neurological statuses compared with those aged over 25.
Agents contributing to secondary immunodeficiency development in patients with multiple myeloma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma: A systematic literature review
Authors: Jolles Stephen , Giralt Sergio , Kerre Tessa , Lazarus Hillard M. , Mustafa S. Shahzad , Ria Roberto , Vinh Donald C.
Published: February 2023

Introduction

Patients with hematological malignancies (HMs), like chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), multiple myeloma (MM), and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), have a high risk of secondary immunodeficiency (SID), SID-related infections, and mortality. Here, we report the results of a systematic literature review on the potential association of various cancer regimens with infection rates, neutropenia, lymphocytopenia, or hypogammaglobulinemia, indicative of SID.

Methods

A systematic literature search was performed in 03/2022 using PubMed to search for clinical trials that mentioned in the title and/or abstract selected cancer (CLL, MM, or NHL) treatments covering 12 classes of drugs, including B-lineage monoclonal antibodies, CAR T therapies, proteasome inhibitors, kinase inhibitors, immunomodulators, antimetabolites, anti-tumor antibiotics, alkylating agents, Bcl-2 antagonists, histone deacetylase inhibitors, vinca alkaloids, and selective inhibitors of nuclear export. To be included, a publication had to report at least one of the following: percentages of patients with any grade and/or grade ≥3 infections, any grade and/or grade ≥3 neutropenia, or hypogammaglobulinemia. From the relevant publications, the percentages of patients with lymphocytopenia and specific types of infection (fungal, viral, bacterial, respiratory [upper or lower respiratory tract], bronchitis, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, skin, gastrointestinal, and sepsis) were collected.

Results

Of 89 relevant studies, 17, 38, and 34 included patients with CLL, MM, and NHL, respectively. In CLL, MM, and NHL, any grade infections were seen in 51.3%, 35.9% and 31.1% of patients, and any grade neutropenia in 36.3%, 36.4%, and 35.4% of patients, respectively. The highest proportion of patients with grade ≥3 infections across classes of drugs were: 41.0% in patients with MM treated with a B-lineage monoclonal antibody combination; and 29.9% and 38.0% of patients with CLL and NHL treated with a kinase inhibitor combination, respectively. In the limited studies, the mean percentage of patients with lymphocytopenia was 1.9%, 11.9%, and 38.6% in CLL, MM, and NHL, respectively. Two studies reported the proportion of patients with hypogammaglobulinemia: 0–15.3% in CLL and 5.9% in NHL (no studies reported hypogammaglobulinemia in MM).

Conclusion

This review highlights cancer treatments contributing to infections and neutropenia, potentially related to SID, and shows underreporting of hypogammaglobulinemia and lymphocytopenia before and during HM therapies.
A novel Cuprotosis-related signature predicts the prognosis and selects personal treatments for melanoma based on bioinformatics analysis
Authors: Hu Bingqian , Hounye Alphonse Houssou , Wang Zheng , Qi Min , Zhang Jianglin
Published: February 2023

Background

Melanoma is a common and aggressive cutaneous malignancy characterized by poor prognosis and a high fatality rate. Recently, due to the application of Immune–checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in melanoma treatment, melanoma patients’ prognosis has been tremendously improved. However, the treatment effect varies quite differently from patient to patient. In this study, we aim to construct and validate a Cuproptosis-related risk model to improve outcome prediction of ICIs in melanoma and divide patients into subtypes with different Cuproptosis-related genes.

Methods

Here, according to differentially expressed genes from four melanoma datasets in GEO (Gene Expression Omnibus), and one in TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) database, a novel signature was developed through LASSO and Cox regression analysis. We used 781 melanoma samples to examine the molecular subtypes associated with Cuproptosis-related genes and studied the related gene mutation and TME cell infiltration. Patients with melanoma can be divided into at least three subtypes based on gene expression profile. Survival pan-cancer analysis was also conducted for melanoma patients.

Results

The Cuproptosis risk score can predict tumor immunity, subtype, survival, and drug sensitivity for melanoma. And Cuproptosis-associated subtypes can help predict therapeutic outcomes.

Conclusion

Cuproptosis risk score is a promising potential biomarker in cancer diagnosis, molecular subtypes determination, TME cell infiltration characteristics, and therapy response prediction in melanoma patients.
The research landscape of the quality of life or psychological impact on gynecological cancer patients: A bibliometric analysis
Authors: Zhao Jiayuan , Kong Yujia , Xiang Yang , Yang Junjun
Published: February 2023

Background

Gynecological cancer is one of the most common cancers in women. The quality of life (QoL) or psychological impact has emerged as an outcome indicator in many clinical trials of gynecological cancer and gained much concern in the clinical setting at the start of the 21st century. Our paper conducted a bibliometric analysis of QoL or psychological impact on gynecological cancer patients to show the status and hotspots.

Methods

Related publications from 2000 to 2022 were included by screening from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) on 26 June 2022. The bibliometrics was analyzed and visualized by bibliometrix R-package, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace V.

Results

A total of 6,479 publications were included in our study. The publications in this field were increased annually. The United States (n = 2,075) was the country with the most published papers. Sydney University (n = 167) was the most productive affiliation. Gynecologic Oncology and Journal of Clinical Oncology were the most relevant and most cited sources, respectively. The article written by Bray F et al. has the highest citation. Kim J and Aaronson NK ranked first in most productive author and most co-cited author, respectively. The keywords “mortality”, “fertility preservation”, and “palliative care” have bursts till 2022, which represented the frontiers of this field.

Conclusion

Our study provides an overall analysis of QoL or psychological impact on gynecological cancer patients, which can serve as a reference in future research.
Neurocognitive effects of binge drinking on verbal episodic memory. An ERP study in university students
Authors: Rodríguez Holguín Socorro , Folgueira-Ares Rocío , Crego Alberto , López-Caneda Eduardo , Corral Montserrat , Cadaveira Fernando , Doallo Sonia
Published: February 2023

Background: Verbal memory may be affected by engagement in alcohol binge drinking during youth, according to the findings of neuropsychological studies. However, little is known about the dynamics of the neural activity underlying this cognitive process in young, heavy drinkers.

Aims: To investigate brain event-related potentials associated with cued recall from episodic memory in binge drinkers and controls.

Methods: Seventy first-year university students were classified as binge drinkers (32: 17 female) or controls (38: 18 female). The participants completed a verbal paired associates learning task during electroencephalogram (EEG) recording. ERPs elicited by old and new word pairs were extracted from the cued-recall phase of the task by using Principal Component Analysis. Subjects also performed a standardized neuropsychological verbal learning test.

Results: Two of the three event-related potentials components indicating old/new memory effects provided evidence for anomalies associated with binge drinking. The old/new effects were absent in the binge drinkers in the two subsequent posterior components, identified with the late parietal component and the late posterior negativity The late frontal component revealed similar old/new effects in both groups. Binge drinkers showed similar behavioural performance to controls in the verbal paired associates task, but performed poorly in the more demanding short-term cued-recall trial of a neuropsychological standardized test.

Conclusion: Event-related potentials elicited during a verbal cued-recall task revealed differences in brain functioning between young binge drinkers and controls that may underlie emergent deficits in episodic memory linked to alcohol abuse. The brain activity of binge drinkers suggests alterations in the hippocampal - posterior parietal cortex circuitry subserving recognition and recollection of the cue context and generation of the solution, in relation to verbal information shallowly memorised.
Purinergic signaling: A gatekeeper of blood-brain barrier permeation
Authors: Wang Yuemei , Zhu Yuanbing , Wang Junmeng , Dong Longcong , Liu Shuqing , Li Sihui , Wu Qiaofeng
Published: February 2023

This review outlined evidence that purinergic signaling is involved in the modulation of blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability. The functional and structural integrity of the BBB is critical for maintaining the homeostasis of the brain microenvironment. BBB integrity is maintained primarily by endothelial cells and basement membrane but also be regulated by pericytes, neurons, astrocytes, microglia and oligodendrocytes. In this review, we summarized the purinergic receptors and nucleotidases expressed on BBB cells and focused on the regulation of BBB permeability by purinergic signaling. The permeability of BBB is regulated by a series of purinergic receptors classified as P2Y1, P2Y4, P2Y12, P2X4, P2X7, A1, A2A, A2B, and A3, which serve as targets for endogenous ATP, ADP, or adenosine. P2Y1 and P2Y4 antagonists could attenuate BBB damage. In contrast, P2Y12-mediated chemotaxis of microglial cell processes is necessary for rapid closure of the BBB after BBB breakdown. Antagonists of P2X4 and P2X7 inhibit the activation of these receptors, reduce the release of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), and promote the function of BBB closure. In addition, the CD39/CD73 nucleotidase axis participates in extracellular adenosine metabolism and promotes BBB permeability through A1 and A2A on BBB cells. Furthermore, A2B and A3 receptor agonists protect BBB integrity. Thus, the regulation of the BBB by purinergic signaling is complex and affects the opening and closing of the BBB through different pathways. Appropriate selective agonists/antagonists of purinergic receptors and corresponding enzyme inhibitors could modulate the permeability of the BBB, effectively delivering therapeutic drugs/cells to the central nervous system (CNS) or limiting the entry of inflammatory immune cells into the brain and re-establishing CNS homeostasis.
Advances in the mechanisms and applications of inhibitory oligodeoxynucleotides against immune-mediated inflammatory diseases
Authors: Wang Hongrui , Su Yingying , Chen Duoduo , Li Qi , Shi Shuyou , Huang Xin , Fang Mingli , Yang Ming
Published: February 2023

Inhibitory oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) are short single-stranded DNA, which capable of folding into complex structures, enabling them to bind to a large variety of targets. With appropriate modifications, the inhibitory oligodeoxynucleotides exhibited many features of long half-life time, simple production, low toxicity and immunogenicity. In recent years, inhibitory oligodeoxynucleotides have received considerable attention for their potential therapeutic applications in immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs). Inhibitory oligodeoxynucleotides could be divided into three categories according to its mechanisms and targets, including antisense ODNs (AS-ODNs), DNA aptamers and immunosuppressive ODNs (iSup ODNs). As a synthetic tool with immunomodulatory activity, it can target RNAs or proteins in a specific way, resulting in the reduction, increase or recovery of protein expression, and then regulate the state of immune activation. More importantly, inhibitory oligodeoxynucleotides have been used to treat immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, including inflammatory disorders and autoimmune diseases. Several inhibitory oligodeoxynucleotide drugs have been developed and approved on the market already. These drugs vary in their chemical structures, action mechanisms and cellular targets, but all of them could be capable of inhibiting excessive inflammatory responses. This review summarized their chemical modifications, action mechanisms and applications of the three kinds of inhibitory oligodeoxynucleotidesin the precise treatment of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases.