bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The role of prognostic nutritional index in the management of pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma
Authors: Wang Yan , Cao Yu , Liu Junfeng 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Background
Pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma is characterized by poor survival rates compared with other non-small cell lung cancer. Prognostic nutritional index has significant prognostic value in many malignant tumors. We conducted this retrospective study to investigate the role of prognostic nutritional index in patients with pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma and to determine prognostic factors.

Methods
Of 8176 patients with resected lung cancer in a single high-volume institution between 2008 and 2015, 91 patients with pathologically diagnosed sarcomatoid carcinoma were included in our study and evaluated. Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox regression analysis were conducted to analyze clinicopathologic data. Subgroup analysis of overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) among pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma patients were also conducted.

Results
Univariable analysis showed that tumor size (P = 0.018 in OS), and P = 0.021 in RFS), tumor stage(P < 0.001 in OS, and P = 0.002 in RFS), nodal metastasis (P < 0.001 in OS, and P < 0.001 in RFS), pathological stage (P < 0.001 in OS, and P < 0.001 in RFS), treatment modality (P = 0.032 in OS, and P = 0.059 in RFS) and PNI (P < 0.001 in OS, and P < 0.001 in RFS), were significant factors of both OS and RFS. In multivariable analysis, for OS, the pathological stage (Hazard ratio (HR) 1.432; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.210–1.695; P < 0.001) and PNI (HR 0.812; 95% CI 0.761–0.865; P < 0.001) were independent prognostic factors. And for RFS, We found PNI as an independent prognostic factor (HR 0.792; 95% CI 0.739–0.848; P < 0.001), and the pathological stage (HR 1.373; 95% CI 1.160–1.625; P < 0.001). In the subgroup of patients with PNI ≥ 49.4, univariable analysis showed treatment modality was a significant factor of overall survival (P = 0.001); multivariable analysis showed patients received postoperative chemotherapy (HR 0.288; 95% CI 0.095–0.874; P = 0.028) or postoperative chemotherapy with targeted therapy (HR 0.148; 95% CI 0.030–0.726; P = 0.019) has better overall survival rates.

Conclusion
The PNI and the pathological TNM stage are independent prognostic factors for pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma. PNI is an important indicator for the selection of postoperative adjuvant therapy. Patients with PNI ≥ 49.4 may benefit from postoperative chemotherapy and targeted therapy. We still need further prospective studies to confirm these results.
FLT3 inhibitors in acute myeloid leukaemia: assessment of clinical effectiveness, adverse events and future research—a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Majothi S. , Adams D. , Loke J. , Stevens S. P. , Wheatley K. , Wilson J. S. 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Background
FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) is the most frequent mutation in AML. With two FLT3 inhibitors recently approved by the FDA (midostaurin and gilteritinib), there is a need to evaluate these targeted agents.

Purpose
To assess the clinical effectiveness of FLT3 inhibitors in AML patients.

Methods
Standard systematic review methods were utilised. Searches were conducted to July 2020 for completed and in-progress randomised controlled trials of FLT3 inhibitors in AML. A fixed-effect meta-analysis was undertaken.

Results
Eight completed trials involving 2656 patients and assessing five different FLT3 inhibitors (sorafenib, lestaurtinib, midostaurin, gilteritinib and quizartinib) were included. The pooled results were as follows (FLT3 inhibitor/control): overall survival hazard ratio (HR) = 0.83 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.75 to 0.92, p = 0.0005), event-free survival HR = 0.85 (95% CI 0.77 to 0.94, p = 0.002), relapse-free survival HR = 0.76 (95% CI 0.64 to 0.90, p = 0.001), complete remission relative risk (RR) = 1.11 (95% CI 1.00 to 1.22. p = 0.05) and 60-day mortality RR = 1.04 (95% CI 0.77 to 1.40, p = 0.79).
Relative risk of grade 3 and above vascular, dermatological, respiratory and hepatobiliary adverse events were found to be statistically significantly higher in the FLT3 inhibitor group compared to control, but the actual numbers of events were relatively small. Nineteen ongoing trials are still in progress, only one of which specifically targets older patients with AML.

Conclusions
There is evidence to support the use of FLT3 inhibitors in patients with AML, but more data is needed to verify the optimum use of the drugs regarding type of inhibitor, disease stage and patient characteristics, not only in relation to disease control, but adverse events and quality of life. There are a large number of ongoing trials; therefore, the results of this review are not a fait accompli; thus, is it recommended that the review be updated in a couple of years’ time. Given the challenges in extracting the complete data set required to assess clinical effectiveness, it is highly recommended that ongoing and future trials improve transparency and consistency of reporting of all trial outcomes, particularly disease control and adverse events, to enable a global clinical effectiveness assessment.

Systematic review registration
PROSPERO CRD42017055581
Mindfulness-based interventions for children and adolescents across all settings: a scoping review protocol
Authors: Perrier Marie-France , Gurgel-Juarez Nalia , Flowers Heather Leslie , McCormick Anna , Short Sarah J. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBackground and purposeAlthough mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are becoming increasingly popular, the application of MBIs with children and adolescents is still in its infancy. Mapping the existing literature is necessary to help guide pediatric mindfulness interventions. Our purpose is to synthesize the evidence of reported MBIs for children and adolescents with and without physical, mental, and cognitive disorders. Accordingly, we aim to identify trends and gaps in the literature, so that we can provide direction to researchers who seek to advance the evidence base for using MBIs in pediatric populations.MethodsOur search strategy will be conducted following Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework. It will include a comprehensive search of published studies in 7 databases, gray literature, conference proceedings, and citations of selected articles. Two independent reviewers will evaluate all abstracts and full articles that have a pediatric sample (children 2–17 years), use MBIs to promote development or to remediate underlying disorders, and are written in English or French. We will identify the definitions and concepts from MBIs, categorize accepted studies according to etiology and rehabilitation type, describe intervention methodology, and report outcomes of selected studies.DiscussionOur review will provide a comprehensive overview of the pediatric mindfulness intervention literature to date, involving a range of mental, cognitive, and physical outcomes for healthy children and adolescents and for those with a variety of disorders in clinical and institutional settings. We will disseminate results to mindfulness practitioners and provide guidance to future pediatric researchers in their development and application of mindfulness interventions, thereby contributing to the scientific understanding of mindfulness for the ultimate betterment of child and adolescent well-being and life-long functioning.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO does not accept scoping review protocols.
New inertial proximal gradient methods for unconstrained convex optimization problems
Authors: Duan Peichao , Zhang Yiqun , Bu Qinxiong 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe proximal gradient method is a highly powerful tool for solving the composite convex optimization problem. In this paper, firstly, we propose inexact inertial acceleration methods based on the viscosity approximation and proximal scaled gradient algorithm to accelerate the convergence of the algorithm. Under reasonable parameters, we prove that our algorithms strongly converge to some solution of the problem, which is the unique solution of a variational inequality problem. Secondly, we propose an inexact alternated inertial proximal point algorithm. Under suitable conditions, the weak convergence theorem is proved. Finally, numerical results illustrate the performances of our algorithms and present a comparison with related algorithms. Our results improve and extend the corresponding results reported by many authors recently.
On the qualitative behavior of the solutions to second-order neutral delay differential equations
Authors: Santra Shyam Sundar , Alotaibi Hammad , Bazighifan Omar 
Published: December 2020

AbstractDifferential equations of second order appear in numerous applications such as fluid dynamics, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, neural networks and the field of time symmetric electrodynamics. The aim of this work is to establish necessary and sufficient conditions for the oscillation of the solutions to a second-order neutral differential equation. First, we have taken a single delay and later the results are generalized for multiple delays. Some examples are given and open problems are presented.
Degenerate Lah–Bell polynomials arising from degenerate Sheffer sequences
Authors: Kim Hye Kyung 
Published: December 2020

AbstractUmbral calculus is one of the important methods for obtaining the symmetric identities for the degenerate version of special numbers and polynomials. Recently, Kim–Kim (J. Math. Anal. Appl. 493(1):124521, 2021) introduced the λ-Sheffer sequence and the degenerate Sheffer sequence. They defined the λ-linear functionals and λ-differential operators, respectively, instead of the linear functionals and the differential operators of umbral calculus established by Rota. In this paper, the author gives various interesting identities related to the degenerate Lah–Bell polynomials and special polynomials and numbers by using degenerate Sheffer sequences, and at the same time derives the inversion formulas of these identities.
Targeting neuroplasticity in patients with neurodegenerative diseases using brain stimulation techniques
Authors: Yuan Ti-Fei , Li Wei-Guang , Zhang Chencheng , Wei Hongjiang , Sun Suya , Xu Nan-Jie , Liu Jun , Xu Tian-Le 
Published: December 2020

AbstractDeficits in synaptic transmission and plasticity are thought to contribute to the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). Several brain stimulation techniques are currently available to assess or modulate human neuroplasticity, which could offer clinically useful interventions as well as quantitative diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. In this review, we discuss several brain stimulation techniques, with a special emphasis on transcranial magnetic stimulation and deep brain stimulation (DBS), and review the results of clinical studies that applied these techniques to examine or modulate impaired neuroplasticity at the local and network levels in patients with AD or PD. The impaired neuroplasticity can be detected in patients at the earlier and later stages of both neurodegenerative diseases. However, current brain stimulation techniques, with a notable exception of DBS for PD treatment, cannot serve as adequate clinical tools to assist in the diagnosis, treatment, or prognosis of individual patients with AD or PD. Targeting the impaired neuroplasticity with improved brain stimulation techniques could offer a powerful novel approach for the treatment of AD and PD.
Pathogenic variants identified by whole-exome sequencing in 43 patients with epilepsy
Authors: Zhang Linlin , Gao Jinshuang , Liu Hailiang , Tian Yuan , Zhang Xiaoli , Lei Wei , Li Ying , Guo Yaqing , Yu Haiyang , Yuan Erfeng , Liang Lisi , Cui Shihong , Zhang Xiaoan 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Background
Epilepsy is a group of neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epilepsy is affected by many factors, approximately 20–30% of cases are caused by acquired conditions, but in the remaining cases, genetic factors play an important role. Early establishment of a specific diagnosis is important to treat and manage this disease.

Methods
In this study, we have recruited 43 epileptic encephalopathy patients and the molecular genetic analysis of those children was performed by whole-exome sequencing (WES).

Results
Fourteen patients (32.6%, 14/43) had positive genetic diagnoses, including fifteen mutations in fourteen genes. The overall diagnostic yield was 32.6%. A total of 9 patients were diagnosed as pathogenic mutations, including 4 variants had been reported as pathogenic previously and 6 novel variants that had not been reported previously. Therefore, WES heralds promise as a tool for clinical diagnosis of patients with genetic disease.

Conclusion
Early establishment of a specific diagnosis, on the one hand, is necessary for providing an accurate prognosis and recurrence risk as well as optimizing management and treatment options. On the other hand, to unveil the genetic architecture of epilepsy, it is of vital importance to investigate the phenotypic and genetic complexity of epilepsy.
Urban specialization reduces habitat connectivity by a highly mobile wading bird
Authors: Teitelbaum Claire S. , Hepinstall-Cymerman Jeffrey , Kidd-Weaver Anjelika , Hernandez Sonia M. , Altizer Sonia , Hall Richard J. 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Background
Mobile animals transport nutrients and propagules across habitats, and are crucial for the functioning of food webs and for ecosystem services. Human activities such as urbanization can alter animal movement behavior, including site fidelity and resource use. Because many urban areas are adjacent to natural sites, mobile animals might connect natural and urban habitats. More generally, understanding animal movement patterns in urban areas can help predict how urban expansion will affect the roles of highly mobile animals in ecological processes.

Methods
Here, we examined movements by a seasonally nomadic wading bird, the American white ibis (Eudocimus albus), in South Florida, USA. White ibis are colonial wading birds that forage on aquatic prey; in recent years, some ibis have shifted their behavior to forage in urban parks, where they are fed by people. We used a spatial network approach to investigate how individual movement patterns influence connectivity between urban and non-urban sites. We built a network of habitat connectivity using GPS tracking data from ibis during their non-breeding season and compared this network to simulated networks that assumed individuals moved indiscriminately with respect to habitat type.

Results
We found that the observed network was less connected than the simulated networks, that urban-urban and natural-natural connections were strong, and that individuals using urban sites had the least-variable habitat use. Importantly, the few ibis that used both urban and natural habitats contributed the most to connectivity.

Conclusions
Habitat specialization in urban-acclimated wildlife could reduce the exchange of propagules and nutrients between urban and natural areas, which has consequences both for beneficial effects of connectivity such as gene flow and for detrimental effects such as the spread of contaminants or pathogens.
Impaired lipid metabolism in astrocytes underlies degeneration of cortical projection neurons in hereditary spastic paraplegia
Authors: Mou Yongchao , Dong Yi , Chen Zhenyu , Denton Kyle R. , Duff Michael O. , Blackstone Craig , Zhang Su-Chun , Li Xue-Jun 
Published: December 2020

AbstractHereditary spastic paraplegias (HSPs) are caused by a length-dependent axonopathy of long corticospinal neurons, but how axons of these cortical projection neurons (PNs) degenerate remains elusive. We generated isogenic human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) lines for twoATL1missense mutations associated with SPG3A, the most common early-onset autosomal dominant HSP. In hPSC-derived cortical PNs,ATL1mutations resulted in reduced axonal outgrowth, impaired axonal transport, and accumulated axonal swellings, recapitulating disease-specific phenotypes. Importantly,ATL1mutations dysregulated proteolipid gene expression, reduced lipid droplet size in astrocytes, and unexpectedly disrupted cholesterol transfer from glia to neurons, leading to cholesterol deficiency in SPG3A cortical PNs. Applying cholesterol or conditioned medium from control astrocytes, a major source of cholesterol in the brain, rescued aberrant axonal transport and swellings in SPG3A cortical PNs. Furthermore, treatment with the NR1H2 agonist GW3965 corrected lipid droplet defects in SPG3A astrocytes and promoted cholesterol efflux from astrocytes, leading to restoration of cholesterol levels and rescue of axonal degeneration in SPG3A cortical PNs. These results reveal a non-cell autonomous mechanism underlying axonal degeneration of cortical PNs mediated by impaired cholesterol homeostasis in glia.
MAPT subhaplotypes in corticobasal degeneration: assessing associations with disease risk, severity of tau pathology, and clinical features
Authors: Valentino Rebecca R. , Koga Shunsuke , Walton Ronald L. , Soto-Beasley Alexandra I. , Kouri Naomi , DeTure Michael A. , Murray Melissa E. , Johnson Patrick W. , Petersen Ronald C. , Boeve Bradley F. , Uitti Ryan J. , Wszolek Zbigniew K. , Dickson Dennis W. , Ross Owen A. , Heckman Michael G. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) H1 haplotype is the strongest genetic risk factor for corticobasal degeneration (CBD). However, the specific H1 subhaplotype association is not well defined, and it is not clear whether any MAPT haplotypes influence severity of tau pathology or clinical presentation in CBD. Therefore, in the current study we examined 230 neuropathologically confirmed CBD cases and 1312 controls in order to assess associations of MAPT haplotypes with risk of CBD, severity of tau pathology (measured as semi-quantitative scores for coiled bodies, neurofibrillary tangles, astrocytic plaques, and neuropil threads), age of CBD onset, and disease duration. After correcting for multiple testing (P < 0.0026 considered as significant), we confirmed the strong association between the MAPT H2 haplotype and decreased risk of CBD (Odds ratio = 0.26, P = 2 × 10−12), and also observed a novel association between the H1d subhaplotype and an increased CBD risk (Odds ratio = 1.76, P = 0.002). Additionally, although not statistically significant after correcting for multiple testing, the H1c haplotype was associated with a higher risk of CBD (Odds ratio = 1.49, P = 0.009). No MAPT haplotypes were significantly associated with any tau pathology measures, age of CBD onset, or disease duration. Though replication will be important and there is potential that population stratification could have influenced our findings, these results suggest that several MAPT H1 subhaplotypes are primarily responsible for the strong association between MAPT H1 and risk of CBD, but that H1 subhaplotypes are unlikely to play a major role in driving tau pathology or clinical features. Our findings also indicate that similarities in MAPT haplotype risk-factor profile exist between CBD and the related tauopathy progressive supranuclear palsy, with H2, H1d, and H1c displaying associations with both diseases.
Formation of zinc oxalate from zinc white in various oil binding media: the influence of atmospheric carbon dioxide by reaction with 13CO2
Authors: Simonsen Kim Pilkjær , Poulsen Josephine Niemann , Vanmeert Frederik , Ryhl-Svendsen Morten , Bendix Jesper , Sanyova Jana , Janssens Koen , Mederos-Henry Francisco 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
The formation of metal oxalates in paintings has recently gained a great deal of interest within the field of heritage science as several types of oxalate compounds have been identified in oil paintings. The present work investigates the formation of metal oxalates in linseed oil in the presence of the artists’ pigments zinc white, calcite, lead white, zinc yellow, chrome yellow, cadmium yellow, cobalt violet, and verdigris. The oil paint films were artificially photo-aged by exposure to UVA light at low and high relative humidity, and afterwards analysed by attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). The results showed that, compared to the other pigments investigated, zinc white is especially prone to metal oxalate formation and that high humidity is a crucial factor in this process. Consequently, the reactivity and photo-aging of ZnO in various oil binding media was investigated further under simulated solar radiation and at high relative humidity levels. ATR-FTIR showed that zinc oxalate is formed in all oil binding media while X-ray powder diffraction (PXRD) revealed it was mainly present in an amorphous state. To examine whether atmospheric CO2(g) has any influence on the formation of zinc oxalate, experiments with isotopically enriched 13CO2(g) were performed. Based on ATR-FTIR measurements, neither Zn13C2O4 nor Zn13CO3 were formed which suggests that the carbon source for the oxalate formation is most likely the paint itself (and its oil component) and not the surrounding atmosphere.
Short and sweet: foreleg abnormalities in Havanese and the role of the FGF4 retrogene
Authors: Bellamy Kim K. L. , Lingaas Frode 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Background
Cases of foreleg deformities, characterized by varying degrees of shortened and bowed forelegs, have been reported in the Havanese breed. Because the health and welfare implications are severe in some of the affected dogs, further efforts should be made to investigate the genetic background of the trait.
A FGF4-retrogene on CFA18 is known to cause chondrodystrophy in dogs. In most breeds, either the wild type allele or the mutant allele is fixed. However, the large degree of genetic diversity reported in Havanese, could entail that both the wild type and the mutant allele segregate in this breed. We hypothesize that the shortened and bowed forelegs seen in some Havanese could be a consequence of FGF4RG-associated chondrodystrophy.
Here we study the population prevalence of the wild type and mutant allele, as well as effect on phenotype. We also investigate how the prevalence of the allele associated with chondrodystrophy have changed over time. We hypothesize that recent selection, may have led to a gradual decline in the population frequency of the lower-risk, wild type allele.

Results
We studied the FGF4-retrogene on CFA18 in 355 Havanese and found variation in the presence/absence of the retrogene. The prevalence of the non-chondrodystrophic wild type is low, with allele frequencies of 0.025 and 0.975 for the wild type and mutant allele, respectively (linked marker).
We found that carriers of the beneficial wild type allele were significantly taller at the shoulder than mutant allele homozygotes, with average heights of 31.3 cm and 26.4 cm, respectively.
We further found that wild type carriers were born on average 4.7 years earlier than mutant allele homozygotes and that there has been a gradual decline in the population frequency of the wild type allele during the past two decades.

Conclusions
Our results indicate that FGF4RG-associated chondrodystrophy may contribute to the shortened forelegs found in some Havanese and that both the wild type and mutant allele segregate in the breed. The population frequency of the wild type allele is low and appear to be decreasing. Efforts should be made to preserve the healthier wild type in the population, increase the prevalence of a more moderate phenotype and possibly reduce the risk of foreleg pathology.