bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Postoperative Bone Marrow Lesions (BMLs) are Associated with Pain Severity in Patients Undergoing Open Wedge High Tibial Osteotomy (OWHTO)
Authors: Zhu Bo , Wang Tong-Fu , Zhu Jia-Wang , Wang Zeng-Liang , Cao Jian-Gang , Zhao Jun-Wei , Chen De-Sheng 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Background: The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between postoperative bone marrow lesions (BMLs) and pain severity in patients undergoing open wedge high tibial osteotomy (OWHTO). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the patients undergoing OWHTO between April 2018 and April 2020. The demographic and clinical data of patients were collected. Clinically, VAS and Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) were used to assess pain level and functional outcomes of patients. Histologically, The MRI Osteoarthritis Knee Score (MOAKS) was used to assess semi-quantitatively the total BMLs size in medial tibiofemoral (MTF), lateral tibiofemoral (LTF), and patellofemoral (PF) joints. Results: 98 patients were enrolled in the study, including 57 male and 41 female patients. The VAS scores improved significantly from 6.1 ± 0.8 to 1.5 ± 0.9 (p < 0.001), and all subscales of KOOS improved significantly after surgery (p < 0.001). There were no significant difference between the pre-and postoperative total BMLs size in PF and LTF joints (p > 0.05). We observed significant improvements in the total BMLs size of MTF joint (p < 0.001). All patients had preoperative MTF joint BMLs, in contrast, 13 patients had no postoperative MTF joint BMLs. The independent sample t-test showed that the VAS scores and KOOS pain scores improved better in patients without postoperative MTF joint BMLs (p < 0.001). Pearson correlations showed that postoperative MTF joint BMLs were correlated with postoperative VAS (p < 0.001) and KOOS pain (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that MTF joint BMLs improved significantly after OWTHO. We confirmed that the presence of postoperative MTF joint BMLs are strongly associated with pain severity, the greater the improvement in postoperative MTF joint BMLs, the less pain. Our findings provide valuable understandings of OWHTO in the treatment of Knee osteoarthritis (KOA), and potential future directions for KOA treatment approaches.
Reduction of Lateral Shoots by RNA Interference and by Chemical Mutation of Genes Involved in Axillary Meristem Regulation and Field Trials of Mutant Lines in Nicotiana Tabacum L.
Authors: Hamano Kaori , Sato Seiki , Arai Masao , Negishi Yuta , Nakamura Takashi , Komatsu Tomoyuki , Naragino Tsuyoshi , Suzuki Shoichi 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
BackgroundLateral branches vigorously proliferate in tobacco after topping of inflorescence portions of stems for maturation of leaves to be harvested. Therefore, tobacco varieties with reduced lateral shoots are highly desired by farmers.ResultsGenetic reduction of lateral shoots was attempted in tobacco. Two groups of genes were examined by RNA interference: homologues of the genes reported as involved in the formation of lateral shoots in other plants, and genes highly expressed in primordial stages of axillary buds. Although "primary" lateral shoots that grew after the plants were topped off when flower buds emerged were not much affected, "secondary" lateral shoots, which appeared from the abaxial sides of the bases of the primary lateral shoots, were suppressed significantly by knock-down of five genes, NtLs, NtBl1, NtREV, VE7, and VE12. Chemical mutation of three of them, NtLs, NtBl1, and NtREV, similarly reduced secondary and "tertiary" lateral shoots but not primary ones. The mutation of NtLs and NtBl1 was backcrossed into an elite variety. The backcross lines were examined for agronomic characteristics in field trials conducted in commercial tobacco production areas. The lines were satisfactory for leaf tobacco production overall and showed good potential as new tobacco varieties.ConclusionSuppression of the five genes reduced only secondary and tertiary lateral shoots in tobacco although similar approaches reduced all branches in other plant species. Nevertheless, the mutant lines might greatly relieve farmers because secondary and tertiary lateral shoots are especially cumbersome because they emerge when farmers are burdened by the labor-intensive leaf harvest.
Impact of microRNAs in Interaction with Environmental Factors on Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Exploratory Pilot Study
Authors: Cui LiHua , Du WenRan , Xu Ning , Dong JingYi , Xia BingJie , Ma JingYi , Yan RuoTong , Wang LanYing , Feng FuMin 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Background: The aim of this study was to explore the main effects of miRNAs as well as their interaction effects with well-replicated autism spectrum disorder (ASD) environmental risk factors on the risk of ASD.Methods: 159 ASD children (ASD group) and 159 healthy children (control group), aged 2-6 years, were included in this study. ASD diagnoses were based on DSM-5 criteria. The extensive medical and demographic characterization of the two groups were recorded. And microRNAs (miRNAs) in serum were detected by qRT-PCR. Results: Comparing to control group, ASD group had significant higher rates of maternal stress during pregnancy (p<0.001), maternal drinking during pregnancy (p=0.006), threatened abortion (p=0.011), pregnancy-induced hypertension (p=0.032), gestational diabetes (p=0.039), maternal anemia during pregnancy (p<0.001), umbilical cord knot (p<0.001), neonatal jaundice (p<0.001), family psychiatric history (p=0.001), and much lower birth weight (p=0.012). Furthermore, ASD group had much lower expression levels of has-miR-181b-5p (p<0.001) and has-miR-320a (p<0.001), and significant higher levels of has-miR-19b-3p (p<0.001). The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the interactions of has-miR-320a and maternal stress during pregnancy (OR=39.42, p<0.001), has-miR-19b-3p and neonatal jaundice (OR=2.44, p<0.001), has-miR-181b-5p and family psychiatric history (OR=8.65, p=0.001) could increase ASD risk. Conclusions:The dysregulation of has-miR-181b-5p,has-miR-320a and has-miR-19b-3p could interact with environmental factors, such as maternal stress during pregnancy, neonatal jaundice and family psychiatric history, to impact the risk of ASD.
Evaluation of Response Time in Monitoring System on the Accuracy of Recording Individual Feeding Behavior and Feed Intake in Dairy Cows
Authors: Wang Rong , Gao Cheng , Wang Min , Zhang Xiumin , Ma Zhiyuan , Wu Duanqin , Wei Zhongshan , Li Zhicai , Gao Shuai , Tan Zhiliang 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Background: The advent of monitoring system can automatically collect the quantitative data of the feeding behavior and feed intake of individual cattle, and the immediate response system always records many non-eating visits. Increasing response time of trigger helps to decrease recording non-eating visits, but may also miss some small periods of recording feed intake. This study was to evaluate the effect of response time in monitoring system on the accuracy of recording individual feeding behavior and feed intake in dairy cows. The first experiment was to investigate the distribution of 10-h feeding behaviors of 8 Holstein dairy cows after morning feeding by using infra-red camera. The second experiment was to investigate accuracy of feed intake recorded by the monitoring system with different response times (0.3, 3, 6, 12 and 24 s) in comparison with direct weighting. The third experiment was to investigate effect of excluding the data of time interval after response time on feed intake and visiting behaviors recorded by the monitoring system, when responding time was set as 0.3 s. Results: The results showed that the most of eating and non-eating visits had duration larger than 24 s (99.0%) and less than 24 s (65.3%), respectively. Comparing with actual feed intake obtained by direct weighting, increasing response time greatly increased the recorded feed intake, with the greatest difference occurring at 6 s of response time (P = 0.001). Although increasing time interval after response time linearly increased mean, median feed intake per visit and 10-h feed intake (P < 0.01), it had little influence on 10-h feed intake (< 0.1%) and eating visit (< 5%). Conclusions: Setting immediate response (0.3 s) in monitoring system helps to get actual feed intake, but can obtain a lot of non-eating visits. Increasing response time helps to decrease the recording of non-eating visits, but can overestimate feed intake.
A Comprehensive Analysis of a Novel Real-time Adaptive Assist-as-needed Controller for Robot-assisted Rehabilitation for Stroke Patients
Authors: Arantes Ana Paula , Bressan Nadja , McGibbon Chris 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Background: Rehabilitation therapy plays an essential role in assisting stroke patients in regaining function. For this reason, many studies have been conducted to optimize rehabilitation interventions to improve effectiveness and efficiency. In this context, robotic devices for rehabilitation and assistance can be effective. Several studies have demonstrated that using a robot as a therapy tool can significantly reduce motor impairment. However, the slacking behavior, in which the patient lets the robot guide their movements even when they are capable of doing so by themselves, has been identified as a major barrier to reaching the full potential of robot-assist rehabilitation. This paper developed a novel electromyographical-based adaptive assist-as-needed (aAAN) controller aiming to avoid this slacking behavior. Methods: Five stroke patients were recruited to test the controller. Motor impairment status was documented with the Fugl-Meyer (FMA) assessment. In this experiment, horizontal arms tasks were conducted with the robot off and on to assess the subject’s performance in both scenarios. Velocity, time, and position were quantified as performance parameters during the training. Arm and shoulder EMG and electroencephalography (EEG) were used to assess the performance of the controller. Results: The cross-sectional results showed strong second-order relationships between Fugl-Meyer score and outcome measures, where performance metrics (path length and accuracy) were sensitive to change in participants with lower functional status. In comparison, speed and electrophysiological metrics (EMG and EEG) were more sensitive to change in participants with higher functional status. EEG signal amplitude increased when the robot suggested that the robot was inducing a challenge during the training tasks. Conclusion: The preliminary results were very promising; slacking was avoided for all participants during training with the aAAN controller.
Prevalence and Risk Factors for Latent Tuberculosis in Polish Healthcare Workers: The Comparison of Tuberculin Skin Test and Interferon-gamma Release Assay (IGRA) Performance.
Authors: Szturmowicz Monika , Broniarek-Samson Beata , Demkow Urszula 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Background: Tuberculosis is still one of the most common infectious diseases worldwide. Health care workers (HCW) are at particular risk of the disease due to their constant exposure to TB patients or their specimens, nevertheless no specific surveillance is widely recommended in this group of professionals. Both, tuberculin skin test (TST) and interferon-gamma-release-assays (IGRAs) are widely applied to detect latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence and risks of LTBI in the population of Polish HCW, to identify factors associated with LTBI, as well as to determine the rate of the discordance between the results of the two applied tests in relation to various factors in a TB endemic setting.Material and methods: LTBI status was prospectively evaluated in 222 HCW, 204 females, 18 males, aged 40.8±9 years, with tuberculin skin test (TST) and interferon gamma release assay (QuantiFERON-TB-Gold in Tube – QFT GIT). Results: TST≥10 mm was found in 58% of HCW, QFT GIT≥0.35 IU/ml in 23%. These results are comparable with previously published data concerning general Polish population, investigated in the same period of time. Nevertheless the relative number of positive QFT GIT in HCW above 45 years of age exceeded those obtained in general population. The risk of obtaining positive QFT GIT was significantly increased in the participants older than 44 years, in those employed >10 years, and in those who reported the direct contact with tuberculous patients or infected biological materials. The concordance between TST and IGRA was poor (kappa 0.23), especially in younger participants, possibly due to BCG vaccination in childhood. Conclusion: The increased risk of LTBI in Polish HCW was related to age, duration of employment and contact with infectious patients or their biological specimens. TB infection control measures in health care facilities in Poland are still insufficient. It is crucial to increase awareness about the importance of detecting and treating LTBI of HCW.
STAT3 Inhibits Cell Proliferation at Least in Part Via Directly Negatively Regulating FST Gene Expression
Authors: Xu Haidong , Ma Guangwei , Mu Fang , Ning Bolin , Li Hui , Wang Ning 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Background: Follistatin (FST) is a secretory glycoprotein and belongs to the TGF-β superfamily. Previously, we found that two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of sheep FST gene were significantly associated with wool quality traits in Chinese Merino sheep (Junken type), indicating that FST is involved in the regulation of hair follicle development and hair trait formation. The transcription regulation of human and mouse FST genes has been widely investigated, and many transcription factors have been identified to regulate FST gene, such as erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), Estrogen-related receptor-β (ERRβ), β-catenin/transcription factor 4 (TCF4) and transcription factor Sp1. However, to date, the transcriptional regulation of sheep FST is largely unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate the transcriptional regulation of sheep FST gene in hair follicles. Results: Genome walking analysis revealed that the gap region upstream of sheep genomic FST gene was 775 bp long. Transcription factor binding site analysis showed sheep FST promoter region contained a conserved putative binding site for signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), located at nucleotides -423 to -416 relative to the first nucleotide (A, +1) of the initiation codon (ATG). The dual-luciferase reporter assays showed that STAT3 inhibited the activity of the FST promoter reporter, and the mutation of the putative STAT3 binding site attenuated the inhibitory effect of STAT3 on the FST promoter activity. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation assay (ChIP) indicated that STAT3 directly binds to the FST promoter. The further functional study displayed that FST and STAT3 played opposite roles in cell proliferation. Overexpression of FST significantly promoted the proliferation of sheep fetal fibroblasts (SFFs) and human keratinocyte (HaCaT) cells, and overexpression of STAT3 significantly inhibited the proliferation of SFFs and HaCaT cells, which was accompanied by a significantly reduced expression of FST gene (P < 0.05). Conclusions: STAT3 directly negatively regulates sheep FST gene and inhibits cell proliferation. The findings will contribute to understanding molecular mechanisms that underlie hair follicle development and wool trait formation.
Grounds for surrogate decision-making in Japanese clinical practice: A qualitative survey
Authors: Tanaka Masashi , Ohnishi Kayoko , Enzo Aya , Okita Taketoshi , Asai Atsushi 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Background In the coming years, surrogate decision-making is expected to become highly prevalent in Japanese clinical practice. Further, there has been a recent increase in activities promoting advance care planning, which potentially affects the manner in which judgements are made by surrogate decision-makers. This study aims to clarify the grounds on which surrogate decision-makers in Japan base their judgements.Methods In this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were conducted to examine the judgement grounds in surrogate decision-making for critical life-sustaining treatment choices in acute care hospitals.Results A total of 228 participants satisfied the inclusion criteria, and 15 were selected for interviews. We qualitatively analysed the content of 14 interview transcripts, excluding one that did not meet the inclusion criteria. Based on this analysis, we extracted 4 core categories, 17 categories, 35 subcategories, and 55 codes regarding judgement grounds in surrogate decision-making. The four core categories were as follows: patient preference–oriented factor (Type 1), patient interest–oriented factor (Type 2), family preference–oriented factor (Type 3), and balanced patient/family preference–oriented factor (Type 4). The Type 4 core category represented attempts to balance the preferences of the patient with those of the surrogate decision-maker.Conclusions Surrogate decision-makers based their decisions on important aspects related to a patient’s life, and they considered not only the patient’s preferences and best interests but also their own preferences. As the need for surrogate decisions will increase in the future, decision-makers will need to consider judgement grounds from a more diverse perspective.
Analysis of multiple cytokines in aqueous humor of patients with idiopathic macular hole
Authors: Wang Heping , Li Yuqi , Han Song , Niu Tongtong 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Background: Idiopathic macular holes are common ophthalmic manifestations with unknown pathogenesis. Thus far, there has been minimal research regarding the causes of idiopathic macular holes, especially with respect to the underlying immune mechanism. To provide clarity regarding the treatment and prognosis of idiopathic macular holes, specifically regarding the levels of cytokines in affected patients, this study examined and analyzed multiple cytokine levels in aqueous humor from patients with idiopathic macular holes.Methods: This comparative cross-sectional study included 38 patients in two groups: a cataract control group (n=17) and an idiopathic macular hole group (n=21). The levels of 48 cytokines in aqueous humor were detected by multiplex analysis with antibody-coupled magnetic beads. The Kolmogorov–Smirnov test was used to check whether the data were normally distributed; Student’s t-test and the Mann–Whitney U test were used to assess differences in cytokine levels between the two groups. Spearman correlation analysis was used to assess relationships among cytokine levels in the experimental group. Signaling pathways containing cytokines with significantly different expression in the experimental group were identified.Results: There were significant differences in aqueous humor cytokine levels between patients with idiopathic macular holes and patients in the cataract control group. Notably, hepatocyte growth factor (p=0.0001), GM-CSF (p=0.0111), and IFN-γ (p=0.0120) were significantly upregulated in the experimental group, while TNF-α (p=0.0032), GRO-α (p<0.0001), and MIF (p<0.0001) were significantly downregulated in the experimental group. Furthermore, the GM-CSF level showed significant positive correlations with levels of IL-1 (r=0.67904, p<0.001), IL-4 (r=0.76017, p<0.001), and IFN-γ (r=0.59922, p=0.004097) in the experimental group. Moreover, the levels of nerve growth factor and hepatocyte growth factor showed a significant positive correlation (r=0.64951, p=0.001441) in the experimental group.Conclusions: Patients with idiopathic macular holes showed significant variation in aqueous humor immune response after the onset of hole formation, including the recruitment of immune cells and regulation of cytokine expression. Our findings also suggest that it is not appropriate to use patients with macular holes as the control group in studies of aqueous humor cytokine levels in ophthalmic diseases.
Prognostic significance of preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in papillary renal cell carcinoma patients after receiving curative surgery based on a retrospective cohort
Authors: Zhang Zhilei , Yu Yongbo , Zheng Jilu , Zhang Mingxin , Niu Haitao 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Background: Inflammatory response biomarkers have been studied as promising prognostic factors in renal cell carcinoma (RCC), but few studies have focused on papillary renal cell carcinoma (PRCC). This study was performed to evaluate the prognostic value of the preoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in PRCC patients. Methods: In total, 122 postoperative PRCC patients selected from 366 non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma (nccRCC) patients were enrolled from our institution between 2012 and 2020. The optimal cutoff value of the NLR was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, and the Kaplan–Meier method and Cox's proportional hazards regression models were performed to analyze the association of the NLR with overall survival (OS). In addition, the potential of tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, the NLR and an NLR-TNM system to predict survival were compared with ROC curves, and clinical usefulness of the predicting models were assessed by decision curve analysis. Results: A threshold value of 2.39 for the NLR for OS analysis was determined by ROC curve analysis. An NLR≥2.39 was associated with a more advanced TNM stage (P<0.01) and larger tumors (P<0.05) than a low NLR, as well as pathological subtype Ⅱ (P<0.05), and the patients with a high NLR also exhibited significantly worse overall survival outcomes (P<0.05). The NLR was determined to be a significant independent prognostic indicator by univariable and multivariable analyses (HR = 5.56, P<0.05). Furthermore, TNM stage and the NLR were integrated, and the area under the curve (AUC) of for the NLR-TNM system was larger than that of for the TNM system when predicting overall survival (0.84 VS 0.73, P=0.04). Decision curve analysis also demonstrated a better clinical value for the NLR-TNM model to predict the prognosis. Conclusion: A high preoperative NLR was associated with poor clinical and pathologic parameters in patients with PRCC; moreover, the NLR was also an independent prognostic factor for the OS of patients with PRCC. The NLR-TNM system, which was a model that integrated the NLR with TNM staging, could improve the ability to predict overall survival.