bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Mesothelin expression in esophageal adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma and its possible impact on future treatment strategies
Authors: Moentenich Valeska , Comut Erdem , Gebauer Florian , Tuchscherer Armin , Bruns Christiane , Schroeder Wolfgang , Buettner Reinhard , Alakus Hakan , Loeser Heike , Zander Thomas , Quaas Alexander 
Published: May 2020

Background: Mesothelin is expressed at very low levels by normal mesothelial cells but is overexpressed in several human cancers. This makes mesothelin a promising target for immunotherapy. Limited data exist about mesothelin expression in esophageal carcinoma. In a current clinical trial, the highly potent anti-mesothelin antibody anetumab ravtansine is used in patients with mesothelin-positive tumors. Response rates are correlated with mesothelin expression (using the Ventana antibody) in tumor cells. No data are available on expression levels using the Ventana antibody. Most data have been generated using the Novocastra antibody. As patients are selected for clinical trials based on antibody staining of tumor samples, a comparison of these two available antibodies is crucial. Methods: We analyzed 481 esophageal carcinomas [373 esophageal adenocarcinomas (EACs), 108 esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCCs)] using two different monoclonal antibodies (Novocastra and Ventana) for mesothelin expression (low–mid and high-level expression, as used in one clinical trial). We also checked for the correlation of these results with clinical and molecular data. Results: We revealed different staining results for both antibodies in EACs: Ventana: 53.6% (low expression: 25.3%; high expression: 28.3%) and Novocastra: 35.7% (low expression: 21.2%; high expression 14.5%). In ESCC we found comparable staining results: Ventana: 13.3% (low expression: 9.5%; high expression: 3.8%) and Novocastra: 13% (low expression: 11.1%; high expression: 1.9%). ARID1a-deficient EAC patients demonstrated significantly higher rates of mesothelin-positive tumors than ARID1a intact EAC patients. No correlations were found with other molecular alterations ( TP53 mutation, ERBB2 amplification) or survival rates. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest study analyzing the importance of mesothelin expression in esophageal carcinoma. This study revealed a significant number of mesothelin-positive esophageal carcinomas, especially adenocarcinomas. New therapeutic targets are urgently required to improve the outcome of patients with locally advanced or metastasized esophageal carcinoma. The inhibition of mesothelin can be a new attractive target.
Improved efficiency of patient admission with electronic health records in neurosurgery
Authors: Polanski Witold H , Danker Adrian , Zolal Amir , Senf-Mothes David , Schackert Gabriele , Krex Dietmar 
Published: May 2020

Background: Electronic health records (EHRs) may be controversial but they have the potential to improve patient care. We investigated whether the introduction of an electronic template-based admission form for the collection of information about the patient’s medical history and neurological and clinical state at admission in the neurosurgical unit might have an impact on the quality of documentation in a discharge record and the amount of time taken to produce this documentation. Method: A new digital template-based admission form (EHR) was developed and assessed with QNOTE, an assessment tool of medical notes with standardised criteria and the possibility to benchmark the quality of documentations. This was compared to 30 prior paper-based handwritten documentations (HWD) regarding the utilisation of these medical notes for dictation of medical discharge records. Results: Implementation of the EHR significantly improved the quality of patient admission documentation with a QNOTE mean grand score of 87 ± 22 ( p < 0.0001) compared to prior HWD with 44 ± 30. The mean documentation time for HWD was 8.1 min ± 4.1 min and the dictation time for discharge records was 10.6 min ± 3.5 min. After implementation of EHR, the documentation time increased slightly to 9.6 min ± 2.3 min (n.s.), while the time for dictation of discharge records was reduced to 5.1 min ± 1.2 min ( p < 0.0001). There was a clear correlation between a higher quality of documentation and a higher needed documentation time as well as higher quality of documentation and lower dictation times of discharge records. Conclusion: Implementation of the EHR improved the quality of patient admission documentation and reduced the dictation time of discharge records. Implications: It is crucial to involve stakeholders and users of EHRs in a timely manner during the stage of development and implementation phase to ensure optimal results and better usability.
Postoperative admission to paediatric intensive care after tonsillectomy
Authors: Levi Eric , Alvo Andrés , Anderson Brian J , Mahadevan Murali 
Published: May 2020

Objectives: To review interventions required by children admitted for intensive care management following tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy either as elective or unplanned admission in a tertiary children’s hospital. Methods: A retrospective chart review over a 10-year period between April 2007 and March 2017 was performed. Charts were interrogated for treatments that were administered in the paediatric intensive care unit. Respiratory support therapies such as supplemental oxygen administration, high-flow nasal oxygen, positive pressure ventilation, continuous positive airway pressure, airway interventions and tracheal intubation were reviewed. Results: There were 103 children admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit following tonsillectomy or adenotonsillectomy. The average age was 6.2 years (range 7 months–17 years). The main indications for the procedure were sleep disordered breathing or obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. In all, 53 children had syndromes with medical comorbidities, 31 were current continuous positive airway pressure users and 5 had a tracheostomy in situ. Forty children admitted to paediatric intensive care unit did not require any high-level care. Ten children who had an unplanned admission had their respiratory interventions started in the theatre or in the post-anaesthetic care unit, before paediatric intensive care unit admission, and did not require escalation of care. Conclusion: Children may not require admission for intensive care after tonsillectomy if they have had an incident-free period in the post-anaesthetic care unit. Some of those who required high-flow nasal oxygen could have been managed on the ward provided with adequate training and monitoring facilities. The level of care they require in post-anaesthetic care unit reflected the level of care for the immediate postoperative period in the paediatric intensive care unit.
Comparative analysis of the access to health-care services and breast cancer therapy in 10 Eastern European countries
Authors: Dimitrova Maria , Lakic Dragana , Petrova Guenka , Bešlija Semir , Culig Josip 
Published: May 2020

Aim: The aim of this study is to compare the differences in breast cancer therapy, health-care service practices, and their availability in ten European countries—Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Montenegro, Republic of North Macedonia, Croatia, Romania, Slovenia, and Republic of Serbia. Methods: An inquire survey was conducted among oncologists in the participating countries. The questionnaire was of qualitative character and focused on several key areas as screening practices, diagnosing, treatment, and health-care procedures utilization. The results were processed through comparative and percentage analysis. Results: All of the observed countries have national registries for breast cancer, but only in five, a mechanism of controlled action of early detection is implemented. Ninety percent of the countries have implemented in the national guidelines the European Society of Medical Oncology recommendations, while National Comprehensive Cancer Network is considered in only 50%. In all countries, digital mammography is a universal diagnostic method. Pathohistological analysis, including HER2 receptor expression and determination of the level of progesterone and estrogen receptors, is routinely performed in all countries prior to therapy. Some differences are observed in terms of FISH/CISH methods, determination of Ki-67 volume, and prognostic molecular assays. Trastuzumab is used as neo-adjuvant therapy in HER2-positive disease in all countries, while in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, only pertuzumab is used. Psychological support is integrated into the professional guidelines for treatment and monitoring in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, and Serbia. Conclusions: The international guidelines should be followed strictly, and some improvements in the health policies should be made in order to decrease the differences and inequalities in the availability of the breast cancer (BC) health services in the Central and Eastern European countries.
Postoperative lymphocyte percentage and neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio are useful markers for the early prediction of surgical site infection in spinal decompression surgery
Authors: Inose Hiroyuki , Kobayashi Yutaka , Yuasa Masato , Hirai Takashi , Yoshii Toshitaka , Okawa Atsushi 
Published: May 2020

Purpose: Although the neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a simple biomarker for inflammation, its diagnostic value for predicting surgical site infection (SSI) after spinal decompression surgery has not been extensively investigated. We aimed to determine the predictive value of NLR for SSI in patients undergoing spinal decompression surgery. Methods: We performed a retrospective observational study of patients who underwent spinal decompression surgery. Consecutive 254 patients were divided into an SSI group and a non-SSI group based on the presence of SSI. We evaluated which markers, including NLR, differed significantly between groups. We then determined the diagnostic cutoff values of these markers for the prediction of SSI based on the significance in the univariate analysis. Results: The incidence of SSI was 7 of 254 patients (2.8%). Univariate analysis showed that there were significant differences in the C-reactive protein (CRP) level at 1 day postoperatively; neutrophil and lymphocyte percentage and NLR at 3–4 days postoperatively; and CRP level, white blood cell count, neutrophil count and percentage, lymphocyte percentage, and NLR at 6–7 days postoperatively between SSI and non-SSI groups. Among these markers, the cutoff values of lymphocyte percentage and NLR at 3–4 days postoperatively for the prediction of SSI were ≤15.1% and ≥4.91, respectively. The cutoff values of lymphocyte percentage and NLR at 6–7 days postoperatively were ≤19.8% and ≥3.21, respectively. Conclusions: Lymphocyte percentage and NLR at 3–4 and 6–7 days postoperatively were useful markers for the early prediction of SSI in patients who had undergone spinal decompression surgery. These parameters may aid in identifying patients at higher risk of SSI after spinal decompression surgery.
Multiple needle puncture combined with repetitive knee manipulation in total knee arthroplasty for correcting varus deformity
Authors: Yuenyongviwat Varah , Iamthanaporn Khanin , Tuntarattanapong Pakjai , Dissaneewate Kantapon , Tangjatsakow Preyanun , Liawrungrueang Wongthawat , Hongnaparak Theerawit 
Published: May 2020

Purpose: Multiple needle punctures (MNPs), for gap balancing in total knee replacement, have less variability in gap widening compared to the conventional released technique. This study aimed to evaluate the outcome of gap-balancing techniques in varus osteoarthritis (OA) knees, by serial MNP, after a total knee prosthesis trial component was placed, combined with repetitive knee manipulation. Methods: This study was a retrospective, case-matched study of 161 patients. The data were collected from varus OA knee patients, who had total knee arthroplasty by a single surgeon. Sixty-eight patients required MNP, combined with repetitive knee manipulation for gap balancing, and 93 patients did not. Both groups of MNP patients underwent the same surgical technique and postoperative care protocols. Results: Knee society scores, in terms of knee score and functional score, were not different in both groups when we started the study, at 6-month and 1-year follow-ups ( p > 0.05). The femorotibial angle was not significantly different between groups at the start of the study, initial postoperative, 6 months, and 1 year ( p = 0.74, 0.45, 0.99, and 0.82, respectively). Medial joint opening in knee radiographic was found in 3% of the patients in the MNP group and in 4% of patients in the control group at 1-year follow-up ( p = 0.65). Conclusion: This study found MNP combined with repetitive knee manipulation was effective, reproductive, and a safe method for varus OA knee. We believe that the cycle of performed needle punctures, knee manipulation, and reevaluation could gradually lengthen the medial soft tissue without risk of over lengthening or medial collateral ligament rupture.
Meta-analyses in management: What can we learn from clinical research?
Authors: Sartal Antonio , González-Loureiro Miguel , Vázquez Xosé H. 
Published: May 2020

We analyze the weaknesses of meta-analyses (MAs) in management research using as benchmark a scientific field where this technique shows a longer tradition: clinical research. We suggest four areas in which management research MA practices should improve: (1) availability of information and replicability of primary research, (2) correct application of statistical support, (3) execution of heterogeneity analyses, and (4) standardization of result reporting. Using a representative MA on an operations management topic, we identify qualitatively the aspects to be improved at each stage. We show the different results that could have been achieved by following standard procedures in clinical research, incorporating different “good practices” from this research field. Overall, these recommendations aim at improving the transparency and replicability of MAs, which can not only facilitate the accumulation of scientific knowledge but also intensify the dialogue between academia and practitioners. JEL CLASSIFICATION: C01; M11; M1
Secondary leukemia in patients with germline transcription factor mutations (RUNX1, GATA2, CEBPA)
Authors: Brown Anna L. , Hahn Christopher N. , Scott Hamish S. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractRecognition that germline mutations can predispose individuals to blood cancers, often presenting as secondary leukemias, has largely been driven in the last 20 years by studies of families with inherited mutations in the myeloid transcription factors (TFs) RUNX1, GATA2, and CEBPA. As a result, in 2016, classification of myeloid neoplasms with germline predisposition for each of these and other genes was added to the World Health Organization guidelines. The incidence of germline mutation carriers in the general population or in various clinically presenting patient groups remains poorly defined for reasons including that somatic mutations in these genes are common in blood cancers, and our ability to distinguish germline (inherited or de novo) and somatic mutations is often limited by the laboratory analyses. Knowledge of the regulation of these TFs and their mutant alleles, their interaction with other genes and proteins and the environment, and how these alter the clinical presentation of patients and their leukemias is also incomplete. Outstanding questions that remain for patients with these germline mutations or their treating clinicians include: What is the natural course of the disease? What other symptoms may I develop and when? Can you predict them? Can I prevent them? and What is the best treatment? The resolution of many of the remaining clinical and biological questions and effective evidence-based treatment of patients with these inherited mutations will depend on worldwide partnerships among patients, clinicians, diagnosticians, and researchers to aggregate sufficient longitudinal clinical and laboratory data and integrate these data with model systems.
Genetics of progression from MDS to secondary leukemia
Authors: Menssen Andrew J. , Walter Matthew J. 
Published: May 2020

AbstractOur understanding of the genetics of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) development from myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) has advanced significantly as a result of next-generation sequencing technology. Although differences in cell biology and maturation exist between MDS and AML secondary to MDS, these 2 diseases are genetically related. MDS and secondary AML cells harbor mutations in many of the same genes and functional categories, including chromatin modification, DNA methylation, RNA splicing, cohesin complex, transcription factors, cell signaling, and DNA damage, confirming that they are a disease continuum. Differences in the frequency of mutated genes in MDS and secondary AML indicate that the order of mutation acquisition is not random during progression. In almost every case, disease progression is associated with clonal evolution, typically defined by the expansion or emergence of a subclone with a unique set of mutations. Monitoring tumor burden and clonal evolution using sequencing provides advantages over using the blast count, which underestimates tumor burden, and could allow for early detection of disease progression prior to clinical deterioration. In this review, we outline advances in the study of MDS to secondary AML progression, with a focus on the genetics of progression, and discuss the advantages of incorporating molecular genetic data in the diagnosis, classification, and monitoring of MDS to secondary AML progression. Because sequencing is becoming routine in the clinic, ongoing research is needed to define the optimal assay to use in different clinical situations and how the data can be used to improve outcomes for patients with MDS and secondary AML.
Leukemia secondary to myeloproliferative neoplasms
Authors: Dunbar Andrew J. , Rampal Raajit K. , Levine Ross 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
Secondary acute myeloid leukemias (AMLs) evolving from an antecedent myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) are characterized by a unique set of cytogenetic and molecular features distinct from de novo AML. Given the high frequency of poor-risk cytogenetic and molecular features, malignant clones are frequently insensitive to traditional AML chemotherapeutic agents. Allogeneic stem cell transplant, the only treatment modality shown to have any beneficial long-term outcome, is often not possible given the advanced age of patients at time of diagnosis and frequent presence of competing comorbidities. Even in this setting, relapse rates remain high. As a result, outcomes are generally poor and there remains a significant unmet need for novel therapeutic strategies. Although advances in cancer genomics have dramatically enhanced our understanding of the molecular events governing clonal evolution in MPNs, the cell-intrinsic and -extrinsic mechanisms driving leukemic transformation at this level remain poorly understood. Here, we review known risk factors for the development of leukemic transformation in MPNs, recent progress made in our understanding of the molecular features associated with leukemic transformation, current treatment strategies, and emerging therapeutic options for this high-risk myeloid malignancy.
Relationship of living arrangement with the decline in functional capacity in elderly people by gender: a longitudinal observational study
Authors: Imamura Haruhiko , Uchiyama Eiko , Akiyama Miki , Kaneko Ikuyo , Takebayashi Toru , Nishiwaki Yuji 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
Background
The living arrangement has been suggested as an important factor affecting health. Recent studies have also suggested that there was a risk among elderly persons who were not alone. This study examined whether the detailed living arrangement was associated with a future decline in functional capacity in the elderly, by gender, in a Japanese suburban city.

Methods
A 3-year longitudinal questionnaire survey (baseline: 2011; follow-up: 2014) for aged 65 years or older was conducted in Kurihara city, Japan. Of the respondents in the baseline survey, we analyzed those who scored 13 points (a perfect score which indicates the highest functional capacity; n = 2627) on the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence at the baseline. The exposure was living arrangement at baseline, divided into five categories: “with spouse only,” “living alone,” “with child and his/her spouse,” “with child without his/her spouse,” and “with other family/person.” The outcome was the decline in functional capacity at the follow-up survey (score decreased to 10 points or less from 13 points).

Results
Of the 2627 analyzed population, 1199 (45.6%) were men. The incidence of the decline was 5.8% in men and 5.9% in women. Multivariable logistic regression analyses adjusted for age, educational attainment, and health behavior and condition revealed that in women, the odds ratio of the decline was higher in living with child and his/her spouse (2.41, 95% confidence interval; 1.10–5.28) referring to living with spouse only. When adjusting activities inside and outside the home such as housework additionally, the association was attenuated to marginal significance (2.25, 0.98–5.18). No statistical significance was observed in men.

Conclusions
These results suggested that living with child and spouse of a child was associated with the future decline in women’s functional capacity.
Genome-wide characterization of the SPL gene family involved in the age development of Jatropha curcas
Authors: Yu Niu , Yang Jin-Chang , Yin Guang-Tian , Li Rong-Sheng , Zou Wen-Tao 
Published: May 2020

Abstract
Background
SPL (SQUAMOSA-promoter binding protein-like) proteins form a large family of plant-specific transcription factors that play essential roles in various aspects of plant growth and development. They are potentially important candidates for genetic improvement of agronomic traits. However, there were limited information about the SPL genes in Jatropha curcas, an important biofuel plant.

Results
In Jatropha, 15 JcSPL genes were identified. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that most of the JcSPLs were closely related to SPLs from woody plant rather than herbaceous plant and distantly related to monocotyledon SPLs. Gene structure, conserved motif and repetitive sequence analysis indicated diverse and specific functions of some JcSPL genes. By combination of target prediction and degradome sequencing analysis, 10 of the 15 JcSPLs were shown to be targets of JcmiR156. Quantitative PCR analysis showed diversified spatial-temporal expression patterns of JcSPLs. It is interesting that the expression levels of JcSPL3 were the highest in all tissues examined in 7- or 10-year-old plants and exhibited increasing trend with plant age, suggesting its important role in the regulation of age development in Jatropha. Overexpression of JcSPL3 in Arabidopsis resulted in earlier flowering time, shorter silique length and reduced biomass of roots.

Conclusions
Through comprehensive and systematic analysis of phylogenetic relationships, conserved motifs, gene structures, chromosomal locations, repetitive sequence and expression patterns, 15 JcSPL genes were identified in Jatropha and characterized in great detail. These results provide deep insight into the evolutionary origin and biological significance of plant SPLs and lay the foundation for further functional characterization of JcSPLs with the purpose of genetic improvement in Jatropha.