bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Association of Diabetes Status With Survival After Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Treatment for Advanced Lung Cancer: a Retrospective Study in Japan
Authors: Hisanaga Kaori , uchino hiroshi , Kakisu Naoko , Miyagi Masahiko , Yoshikawa Fukumi , Sato Genki , Isobe Kazutoshi , Kishi Kazuma , Homma Sakae , Hirose Takahisa 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Introduction: Although immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are promising in the treatment of advanced cancer, they may lead to immune-related adverse events (irAEs), which can affect endocrine organ systems. However, development of the irAEs was associated with improved cancer-specific survival, the risk for years have not been elucidated. We investigated the association of pre-ICI comorbidities—including diabetes—with years and overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in advanced lung cancer. Research design and methods: Patients with lung cancer who were treated with ICIs at the period from September 1, 2015 through July 31, 2018 were retrospectively enrolled. All data were collected from the university patient NEPTUNE database. Hazard ratios were estimated by using Cox regression weighted for propensity scores. Odds ratios were calculated by logistic regression and adjusted for unbalanced variables. The Kaplan–Meier method was used to compare OS, and the generalized Wilcoxon test was used to compare median survival. The results: Among the 88 patients identified, 22 (25.0%) had diabetes (DM) before ICI treatment and 57 (75.0%) did not (non-DM). Iris developed in 12.2% of patients with DM and in 9.1% of patients in non-DM (p=0.87). Diabetes status was not associated with auras risk in relation to baseline characteristics (age, sex, TNM staging, thyroid and renal function) or after propensity score matching analysis (age, TNM staging). During a mean follow-up of 30 months, OS and cancer-specific PFS were significantly higher in patients who developed iris (Kaplan–Meier estimates, p=0·04 and 0·03, respectively). In propensity score–matched analysis, diabetes was significantly associated with lower OS (multivariate hazard ratio, 0·36; 95% CI, 0·13–0·98). Irrespective of eras, PFS was lower among patients with DM than among non-DM (Kaplan–Meier estimate, p=0·04). Conclusions: Pre-existing diabetes was associated with higher mortality in advanced lung cancer, regardless of irAEs development after treatment with ICIs.
The Socio-Spatial Determinants of COVID-19 Diffusion: The Impact of Globalisation, Settlement Characteristics and Population
Authors: Sigler Thomas , Mahmuda Sirat , Kimpton Anthony , Loginova Julia , Wohland-Jakhar Pia , Charles-Edwards Elin , Corcoran Jonathan 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Background: COVID-19 is an emergent infectious disease that has spread geographically to become a global pandemic. While much research focuses on the epidemiological and virological aspects of the COVID-19 transmission, there remains a gap in knowledge regarding the drivers of geographical diffusion between places. Here, we use quantile regression to model the roles of globalisation, human settlement and population characteristics as socio-spatial determinants of COVID-19 diffusion over a six-week period in March and April 2020. Results: The quantile regression model suggest that globalisation and settlement population characteristics related to high human mobility predict disease diffusion. Human development level (HDI) and total population predict COVID-19 diffusion in countries with a high number of total confirmed cases per million whereas larger household size, older populations, and globalisation tied to human interaction predict COVID-19 diffusion in countries with a low number of total confirmed cases per million. Conclusions: The analysis confirms that globalisation, settlement and population characteristics lead to greater disease diffusion, and primarily variables tied to high human mobility. These outcomes serve to inform policies around ‘flattening the curve’, particularly as they related to anticipated relocation diffusion from more- to less-developed countries and regions, and hierarchical diffusion from countries with higher population and density. Epidemiological strategies must be tailored to suit the range of human mobility patterns, as well as the variety of settlement and population characteristics.
Brain tumor segmentation from multimodal magnetic resonance imaging data based on gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) and an ensemble Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier
Authors: Li Na , Yang Zheng 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Background

Brain tumors, abnormal cells growing in the human brain,are common neurological diseases that are extremely harmful to human health. Malignant brain tumors can lead to high mortality. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)༌a typical noninvasive imaging technology, can produce high-quality brain images without damage and skull artifacts, as well as provide comprehensive information to facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of brain tumors. Additionally༌the segmentation of MRI brain tumors utilizes computer technology to segment and label tumors and normal tissues automatically on multimodal brain images, which plays an important role in disease diagnosis, treatment planning, and surgical navigation.
Methods

We propose a solution using gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) texture and an ensemble Support Vector Machine (SVM) structure. We focus on the effects of GLCM texture on brain tumor segmentation. First, 112 GLCM features for each voxel were extracted. Next, these features were ranked using the SVM-recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE) method. Based on the sorting results, we found that when the number of features was 60, the value of the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) tended to be flat. The GLCM texture features maximal correlation coefficient, information measure of correlation, Angular Second Moment, sum of squares, difference variance, contrast, and inverse difference moment were important for segmentation. Finally, we selected the top 60 grayscale features and constructed an ensemble SVM classifier to separate the abnormal mass of tissue from normal brain tissues.
Results

The experimental material was a dataset called BraTs2015. The proposed model was verified with the Dice coefficient. For low-grade tumors, we obtained a 91.2% average Dice coefficient for segmenting the complete tumor region. For high-grade tumors, the average was slightly higher at 92.4%.
Conclusion

Our results demonstrated that this method has a better capacity and higher segmentation accuracy with a low computation cost.
Kidney Organoids Generated from iPS Cells Obtained from the Erythroid Progenitors of Patients with Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease
Authors: Facioli Roberta , Lojudice Fernando , Anauate Ana , Maquigussa Edgar , Nishiura José Luiz , Heilberg Ita , Sogayar Maricleide , Boim Mirian 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Background. Kidney organoids have been broadly obtained from commercially available induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs); however, it has been a great challenge to efficiently produce renal organoid models from patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) that recapitulate both embryogenesis and the mechanisms of cystogenesis.Methods. Blood erythroid progenitors (EPs) from two ADPKD patients and one healthy control (HC) donor were reprogrammed by an episomal vector into iPSCs, which were differentiated into renal tubular organoids and then stimulated by forskolin to induce cysts formation. Results. iPSCs derived from EPs exhibited all characteristics of pluripotency and were able to differentiate into all three germ layers. 3D tubular organoids were generated from single cells after 28 days in Matrigel. HC and ADPKD organoids did not spontaneously form cysts, but upon forskolin stimulation, cysts-like structures were observed in the ADPKD organoids but not in the HC-derived organoids. Conclusion. The findings of this study showed that kidney organoids were successfully generated from the blood EP cells of ADPKD patients and a healthy control donor. This approach should contribute as a powerful tool for embryonic kidney developing model which is able to recapitulate the very early pathophysiological mechanisms involved in cytogenesis.
Improved thermostability of creatinase from Alcaligenes Faecalis through non-biased phylogenetic consensus-guided mutagenesis
Authors: Bai Xue , Li Daixi , Ma Fuqiang , Deng Xi , Luo Manjie , Feng Yan , Yang Guangyu 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Enzymatic quantification of creatinine has become an essential method for clinical evaluation of renal function. Although creatinase (CR) is frequently used for this purpose, its poor thermostability severely limits industrial applications. Herein, we report a novel creatinase from Alcaligenes faecalis (afCR) with higher catalytic activity and lower KM value, than currently used creatinases. We applied a non-biased phylogenetic consensus method to identify 59 candidate consensus residues from 24 creatinase family homologs for screening afCR mutants with improved thermostability. Twenty-one amino acids of afCR were selected to mutagenesis and 11 of them exhibited improved thermostability compared to the parent enzyme (afCR-M0). Combination of single-site mutations in sequential screens resulted in a quadruple mutant D17V/T199S/L6P/T251C (M4-2) which showed ~ 1700-fold enhanced half-life at 57 ºC and a 4.2 ºC higher T5015 than that of afCR-M0. The mutant retained catalytic activity equivalent to afCR-M0, and thus showed strong promise for application in creatinine detection. Structural homology modeling revealed a wide range of potential molecular interactions associated with individual mutations that contributed to improving afCR thermostability.
Heat Shock Drives Genomic Instability and Phenotypic Variations in Yeast
Authors: Shen Li , Wang Yu-Ting , Tang Xing-Xing , Zhang Ke , Wang Pin-Mei , Sui Yang , Zheng Dao-Qiong 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
High temperature causes ubiquitous environmental stress to microorganisms, but studies have not fully explained whether and to what extent heat shock would affect genome stability. Hence, this study explored heat-shock-induced genomic alterations in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae . Using genetic screening systems and customized single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarrays, we found that heat shock (52°C) for several minutes could heighten mitotic recombination by at least one order of magnitude. More than half of heat-shock-induced mitotic recombinations were likely to be initiated by DNA breaks in the S/G 2 phase of the cell cycle. Chromosomal aberration, mainly trisomy, was elevated hundreds of times in heat-shock-treated cells than in untreated cells. Distinct chromosomal instability patterns were also observed between heat-treated and carbendazim-treated yeast cells. Finally, we demonstrated that heat shock stimulates fast phenotypic evolutions (such as tolerance to ethanol, vanillin, fluconazole, and tunicamycin) in the yeast population. This study not only provided novel insights into the effect of temperature fluctuations on genomic integrity but also developed a simple protocol to generate an aneuploidy mutant of yeast.
CircRNA UBAP2 Serves as a Sponge of miR-1294 to Increase Tumorigenesis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma through Regulating c-Myc Expression
Authors: Yu Min-Cheng , Ding Guang-Yu , Fu Pei-Yao , Ma Peng , Zhu Xiao-Dong , Cai Jia-Bin , Shen Ying-Hao , Zhou Jian , Fan Jia , Sun Hui-Chuan , Kuang Ming , Huang Cheng 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Background: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of regulatory RNAs with complex roles in healthy and diseased tissues. However, the oncogenic role of circRNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains poorly understood, including the mechanisms by which the circRNA UBAP2 contributes to tumorigenesis. Methods: We analyzed the expression of circUBAP2 in 20 paired samples of HCC and healthy tissue as well as in seven HCC cell lines via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Functional experiments, such as CCK8 viability assays, colony formation assays, wound healing, transwell assays, and flow cytometry, were conducted to assess the effects of circUBAP2 in vitro. To further elucidate the mechanisms by which circUBAP2 acts, we conducted dual-luciferase assays, western blots, RNA pull-down assays, and rescue experiments. Results: circUBAP2 was highly upregulated in most HCC tissues and was associated with poor prognosis. HCC patients with high circUBAP2 expression had greater vascular invasion and worse differentiation. Functionally, circUBAP2 overexpression enhanced HCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and inhibited apoptosis. Furthermore, we found that circUBAP2 upregulated c-Myc expression by sponging miR-1294, thus contributing to hepatocarcinogenesis. Inhibiting circUBAP2 expression in HCC attenuated the oncogenic effects of c-Myc. Conclusions: These findings suggest that circUBAP2 promotes HCC growth and metastasis. circUBAP2 may have value as an independent prognostic biomarker or as a new target for the treatment of HCC.
Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio on Admission Predicts In-hospital Mortality in Patients with COVID-19
Authors: Hu Jin , Zhou Jun , Dong Fang , Tan Jie , Wang Shuntao , Li Zhi , Zhang Ximeng , Zhang Huiqiong , Ming Jie , Huang Tao 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Background: A novel coronavirus caused an outbreak of acute infectious pneumonia are spreading over the globe. However, studies predicting prognosis are limited. We predicted outcomes of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) using the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) on admission.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the characteristics of COVID-19 patients diagnosed from February 6 to March 1. The outcomes, including the occurrence of in-hospital mortality, acute kidney injury (AKI), and endotracheal intubation (ETI), were recorded. The relationships of neutrophils, lymphocytes, C-reactive protein, lactate dehydrogenase, and NLR with outcomes were assessed using multivariate regression model. P-values for trends across quartiles of NLR was examined.Results: A total of 182 patients were included. 37 (20.3%) patients died during the hospitalization, 41 (22.5%) developed AKI, and 36 (19.8%) received ETI. The NLR had a superior predictive performance than others. Using an NLR cutoff of 11.4, the area under the curves (AUC) were 0.766 for in-hospital mortality, 0.755 for AKI, and 0.733 for ETI. In multivariate analysis, NLR >11.4 was further identified as an independent prognostic factor. Following stratification with quartiles of NLR, a positive trend between the increasing quartiles of NLR and the three outcomes were observed (p-values for trends across quartiles were 0.043, <0.001, and 0.041, respectively). The multivariate adjusted odds ratio (OR) in the highest quartile vs. the lowest quartile were 5.738 for mortality, 25.307 for AKI, and 5.136 for ETI.Conclusions: Increasing NLR obtained on admission is a powerful predictor for inpatient mortality, AKI, and ETI in COVID-19 patients.
Beneficial impact of education on cognition in amyloid-positive individuals with subjective cognitive decline: The SILCODE study
Authors: Chen Guanqun , Liu Chunhua , Yang Kun , Jiang Jiehui , Han Ying 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Background: Previous studies suggest that education is associated with a decreased risk of dementia in individuals with subjective cognitive decline (SCD). However, the influence of education on cognition in amyloid-positive SCD subjects is not clear.Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study that involved 43 amyloid-negative and 29 amyloid-positive SCD subjects from the Sino Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Decline (SILCODE) project. Cognitive assessment included episodic memory, executive function, language, and general cognitive function. Multiple linear regression model was used to assess the association of education on cognitive performance.Results: Multiple linear regression analysis suggested that education has a protective effect on executive function, language for the amyloid-negative SCD group and language, global cognition for the amyloid-positive SCD group.Conclusions: The present study indicated that education has the potential to delay disease progression in amyloid-positive SCD subjects.
Synthesis, Characterisation and Cytotoxicity of Gold Nanowires for Ultra-Sensitive Biosensor Development
Authors: Lah Nurul Akmal Che , Gray Robert , Trigueros Sonia 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
With the long-term goal of developing an ultra-sensitive microcantilever-based nanobiosensor for versatile biomarker detection, new controlled bioreceptor-analytes systems are being explored to overcome the disadvantages of conventional ones. Gold nanowires (AuNWs) have been used as a probe to overcome the tolerance problem that occurs in response to changes in environmental conditions. However, the cytotoxicity of AuNWs is still unclear. Here, we examined the cytotoxicity of AuNWs systems using both commercial and as-synthesised AuNWs. In vitro experiments show that commercial AuNWs with an average quoted length of 6 µm are highly toxic against Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) at 50 µg/ml. However, this toxicity is due to the presence of CTAB surfactant no by the nanostructure. Conversely, the as-synthesised AuNWs with an average length of 9.5 µm show non-cytotoxicity even at the maximum viable concentration (330 µg/ml). These findings may lead to the development of potentially life-saving cytotoxicity -free nanobiosensors for an early diagnostic of potential diseases.
Household Cooking Fuel Type and Child Anaemia in Sub-saharan Africa: Insights From Demographic and Health Surveys
Authors: Amadu Iddrisu , Seidu Abdul-Aziz , Afitiri Abdul-Rahaman , Ahinkorah Bright Opoku 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Background

Childhood anaemia is one of the major public health concerns in low and middle-income countries, contributing substantially to childhood mortality and morbidity. This study, therefore, sought to investigate the association between household cooking fuel type, and the joint impact of household cooking fuel type and urbanicity on anaemia among children under the age of 5 in sub-Saharan Africa.
Methods

We analysed cross-sectional data of 95,056 children under the age of 5 from 29 sub-Saharan African countries. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed using chi-square test of independence and negative log-log regression respectively at p < 0.05. Results were presented as Adjusted Odds Ratios for the negative log-log regression analysis.
Results

The percentage of children who had anaemia was 57%. Children from rural households that depend on unclean cooking fuels were more likely to be anaemic [AOR = 1.042; 95% CI = 1.010–1.074] compared to children from urban households using unclean cooking fuel. We also found that children in female headed households [AOR = 1.047; CI = 1.019–1.076], children in large households [AOR = 1.066; CI = 1.021–1.113]; those in households with improved source of drinking water [AOR = 1.035; CI = 1.006–1.065] had higher odds of suffering from anaemia. However, children with normal weight [AOR = 0.946;CI = 0.916–0.976], children aged 4 [AOR = 0.900; CI = 0.868–0.934], children whose mothers are aged 45–49 [AOR = 0.866; CI = 0.778–0.963] and those aged 30–34 [AOR = 0.868; CI = 0.815–0.925], children whose mothers had tertiary level of education [AOR = 0.865; CI = 0.809–0.925], children in rich households [AOR = 0.935; CI = 0.904–0.968] and those in households with improved type of toilet facility [AOR = 0.955; CI = 0.929–0.981] had lower odds of being anaemic.
Conclusion

Our study established an association between the joint effect of type of household cooking fuel and urbanicity and anaemia among children under the age of 5 in SSA. Childs’ birthweight, current age, maternal age, sex of household head, age of household head, maternal education, wealth status, size of household, type of source of drinking water and country of residence are associated with childhood anaemia. It is therefore critical to promote the usage of clean cooking fuels among households and women in rural areas. This could be done by governments in various countries subsidising the cost of liquefied petroleum gases and cylinders. Stakeholders that seek to improve maternal and child health should also take these associated factors into consideration.
High serum uric acid concentration is a risk factor for radiographic spondyloarthritis: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Lai Yupeng , Zhang Yanpeng , Lei Zhihao , Huang Yihong , Ni Tongxin , He Pin , Li Xiaoling , Xu Chiduo , Xia Jun 
Published: August 2020

Abstract
Background: Cardiovascular disease is a kind of comorbidity of spondyloarthritis (SpA). Hyperuricaemia is a risk factor of cardiovascular disease. Previous SpA study concerning cardiovascular disease and hyperuricaemia found that hyperuricaemia is more prevalent in radiographic SpA. Thus, we evaluated the association of serum uric acid (SUA) concentration and radiographic SpA. Methods: We made use of data from a cross-sectional study in Chinese Shenzhen Second People’s Hospital from 2016 to 2018, which included 202 SpA patients diagnosed by rheumatologists. This study detected the prevalence of comorbidities and risk factors of SpA patients. Using data from this study, we evaluated the association between radiographic images of SpA and SUA concentration. We compared the SUA concentration between radiographic SpA group and non-radiographic SpA group, with logistic regression models. Stratified and interaction analyses were also performed to further confirm the consistence of the relationship. Multiple imputation was used to deal with missing data.Results: This research studied 202 SpA patients’ data including their SUA, sacroiliac images, and other relevant laboratory data. Elevated SUA concentration was found to be associated independently with the increased risk of radiographic SpA after adjusted for confounders. The risk for developing radiographic SpA increased 13% [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1·13, 95% confidence interval (CI):(1·05, 1·22), p=0·0014] for per 10umol/L SUA increased. Stratified analyses, interaction analyses and multiple imputation analyses also confirmed the consistence of the association.Conclusions: Based on this Chinese population cross-sectional study, we identify that elevated SUA concentration is a risk factor for developing radiographic SpA.