bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Construction and validation of a prognostic nomogram for primary vulvar melanoma: a SEER population-based study
Authors: Zhou Hongyu , Zou Xuan , Li Haoran , Chen Lihua , Cheng Xi 
Published: July 2020

Abstract

Background
Primary vulvar melanoma was an aggressive and poorly understood gynecological tumor. Unlike cutaneous melanoma, the incidence of vulvar melanoma was low but the survival was poor. There were no standard staging system and no census on treatment strategies of vulvar melanoma. Therefore, we aimed to conduct and validate a comprehensive prognostic model for predicting overall survival of vulvar melanoma and provide guidance for clinical management.

Methods
Patients diagnosed with vulvar melanoma between year 2004 and 2015 from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result (SEER) database were randomized to training cohort and validation cohort. Multivariate survival analysis was performed to screen for independent factors of survival. A nomogram was established to predict overall survival of vulvar melanoma. Receiver operating characteristic curve and calibration plot were performed to verify the discrimination and accuracy of the model. The decision curve analysis was performed to verify the clinical applicability of the model.

Results
Total 737 patients with vulvar melanoma were randomized to the training cohort (n = 517) and the validation cohort (n = 220). Nomogram including age, race, tumor site, depth of tumor invasion, lymph node status, distant metastasis, tumor size, surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy was established and validated. The c-indexes for SEER stage, American Joint Committee on Cancer stage and this model were 0.561, 0.635 and 0.826, respectively. The high-risk group scored by this model had worse survival than the low-risk group (P &lt; 0.001). Decision curve analysis revealed this model was superior in predicting survival.

Conclusions
Our model was deemed to be a useful tool for predicting overall survival of vulvar melanoma with good discrimination and clinical applicability. We hoped this model would assist gynecologists in clinical decision and management of patients diagnosed with vulvar melanoma.
Population turnover promotes fungal stability in a semi-arid grassland under precipitation shifts
Authors: Wang Nannan , Li Lei , Zhang Bingwei , Chen Shiping , Sun Wei , Luo Yukun , Dong Kuanhu , Han Xingguo , Huang Jianhui , Xu Xiaofeng , Wang Changhui 
Published: July 2020

Abstract

Aims
Bacteria and fungi are two primary groups of soil microbes, and their stability determines the persistence of microbial functions in response to a changing environment. Recent studies reported higher fungal than bacterial stability under precipitation alteration, the underlying mechanisms, however, remain elusive.

Methods
A 3-year precipitation manipulation experiment in a semi-arid grassland was used to compare the bacterial and fungal diversities, including alpha diversity, beta diversity and microbial community composition turnover, in response to precipitation manipulations. A framework is proposed to understand the stability properties of bacteria and fungi under precipitation alteration. We conceived a diagrammatic valley to illustrate microbial stability with the depth representing resistance and the width ecological resilience.

Important Findings
We found that ±60% in precipitation significantly reduced the richness and increased the evenness of bacteria but had trivial impacts on fungi. Precipitation alteration yielded stronger impacts on the variation in alpha diversity of bacteria than fungi, suggesting that the bacterial community is more sensitive to water stress than the fungal community. Moreover, fungi had wider composition turnover than that of bacteria, indicating higher composition variation of fungi than bacteria. The population turnover of fungi, reflected by composition variation, coefficient variation of diversity index and composition turnover, was larger than that of bacteria at both temporal and spatial scales, indicating the population turnover promotes fungal stability. The higher stability of fungal community in tolerating water stress is analogous to a ball in a wide valley that swing substantially but remain close to its steady state; while the lower stability of bacteria community is analogous to a ball that swings slightly but stay far away from its steady state. Our finding that the fungal community had higher stability than bacterial community in a semi-arid grassland might be applicable to other biomes.
Linking the spatiotemporal variation of litterfall to standing vegetation biomass in Brazilian savannas
Authors: Costa Alan N , Souza Jeane R , Alves Karyne M , Penna-Oliveira Anderson , Paula-Silva Geisciele , Becker Ingrid S , Marinho-Vieira Kelly , Bonfim Ana L , Bartimachi Alessandra , Vieira-Neto Ernane H M 
Published: July 2020

Abstract

Aims
Litterfall at a global scale is affected by climate, edaphic features and vegetation structure, with litter production increasing from grasslands to forests following the rise in standing biomass. However, at landscape scales, the same relationship between litter production and vegetation structure has rarely been studied and comparisons of litterfall patterns between adjacent, structurally distinct communities are lacking. Here, we use a standardized methodology to describe the structural differences among four savanna physiognomies and analyze their relationship with changes in litterfall across the Cerrado.

Methods
We evaluated the woody vegetation structure and composition in 48 sites, equally distributed across four physiognomies and monitored the monthly litter production from April 2014 to March 2015.

Important Findings
Results showed that the density, basal area, cylindrical volume and aboveground biomass of woody vegetation differ among physiognomies, increasing consistently from cerrado ralo, cerrado típico, cerrado denso and cerradão. Indeed, we found a strong and positive relationship between aboveground biomass and annual litter production, with litter yield increasing from 0.9 to 8.4 Mg ha−1 across different physiognomies, following the increment in vegetation structure. Monthly production was seasonal and similar among vegetation types, increasing during the dry season. Leaves comprised the dominant fraction (approx. 85%) and litterfall seasonality primarily resulted from the concentration of leaf shedding during dry months. However, the temporal pattern of litterfall throughout the year showed a gradual reduction in the seasonality from open to closed vegetation types, likely following the decrease of deciduous species abundance in the plant community. Our results showed that changes in vegetation structure may affect spatial and temporal litterfall patterns in different physiognomies, which co-occur across the Cerrado landscape, with potential implications for the overall functioning of this ecosystem. Moreover, these findings highlight the use of standardized methods as essential to correctly compare litterfall patterns among different environments.
On the properties of dissipative shocks in the relativistic accretion flows
Authors: Mondal Soumen , Basu Prasad 
Published: July 2020

ABSTRACT
In this work, we study the properties of dissipative shocks for fully relativistic accretion flows around spinning black holes. In an accretion flow harbouring a dissipative shock (formally known as radiative shock), a significant portion of the thermal energy may get released from the post-shock corona. A stellar-mass black hole may therefore emit hard X-rays from the inner edge of the disc. If the bulk energy loss is significant, post-shock pressure drops, and shock moves forward towards the black hole compressing the size of the post-shock corona, resulting an enhancement of the corona temperature and compression ratio. The dynamical properties of the radiative shocks are therefore systematically investigated to understand accurately the radiative loss processes, temporal variations, and the spectral properties. We notice that the range of flow parameters (e.g. energy and angular momentum) responsible for the formation of ‘shocks in accretion (SA)’ is identical for both the cases of standing and dissipative shocks. The spin of the black hole enhances the dissipation further. We estimate the maximum energy release, which is observed close to $100{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ in the extreme cases. This could be useful in explaining various observed phenomena namely the formation and the systematic evolution of quasi-periodic oscillations, and the time lags in between hard and soft X-ray photons (e.g. XTE J1550−564, GRO J1655−40, etc.) during their outbursts.
How to live with a meningioma: experiences, symptoms, and challenges reported by patients
Authors: Nassiri Farshad , Suppiah Suganth , Wang Justin Z , Badhiwala Jetan H , Juraschka Kyle , Meng Ying , Nejad Romina , Au Karolyn , Willmarth Nicole E , Cusimano Michael , Zadeh Gelareh 
Published: July 2020

AbstractBackgroundWe aimed to explore gaps in the care of meningioma patients that could improve quality of care by better understanding symptoms experienced by patients at various stages of treatment, and afterwards.MethodsA novel 19-item self-administered questionnaire was provided for patients with meningiomas to complete by the American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA) over a 3-month period.ResultsA total of 1852 unique respondents were included. Nearly one-third of all respondents felt they received insufficient information about meningiomas at initial diagnosis (N = 607, 32.9%) and 28.8% (N = 530) believed they received insufficient information about treatment options. In fact, 34.5% of respondents received the majority of their information from the internet and nonhealthcare professionals. The most common concerns after initial diagnosis were risks associated with surgery and/or treatment (36.5%) followed by how the tumor would impact daily life (25%) and the risk of tumor recurrence (12.4%). Respondents indicated that a list of resources available for patients with meningiomas (N = 597, 32.3%) would have been most beneficial in regards to their disease experience after their initial diagnosis. Moreover, we found that a substantial proportion of patients continued to report symptoms long after treatment, with fatigue being the most common compared to before treatment (38.2% vs. 57.7%, χ2 = 128, P &lt; .001).ConclusionsPatients with meningiomas exhibit symptoms that continue well after treatment with fatigue and cognitive impairments as the most bothersome. Moreover, patients report key communication gaps that can be addressed to improve their disease experience and care.
A Business Archive of the French Illegal Slave Trade in the Nineteenth Century
Authors: la Hausse de Lalouvière Joseph 
Published: July 2020

Abstract:
Following the abolition of the transatlantic trade in African captives, slave traders from France, Spain and Cuba devised strategies of concealment to perpetuate and even expand their enterprise. A close reading of the unexpurgated logbooks and business correspondence of the Jeune Louis, a French ship that transported more than three hundred captives from the Bight of Biafra to Havana in 1825, identifies three decisive innovations in the Franco-Cuban branch of the illegal slave trade. Transnational business structure, risk management through honour-based marine insurance policies, and redacted record keeping transformed the wider Atlantic slave-trading sector into one capable of eluding attempts at international suppression. The clandestine techniques that this transnational slaving network developed to skirt the law also distorted the archival record of that traffic. Accounting for the resulting distortions and disappearances will enable future researchers to better navigate them.
Dissecting MicroRNA–mRNA Regulatory Networks Underlying Sulfur Assimilation and Cadmium Accumulation in Poplar Leaves
Authors: Shi Wenguang , Liu Wenzhe , Ma Chaofeng , Zhang Yuhong , Ding Shen , Yu Wenjian , Deng Shurong , Zhou Jing , Li Hong , Luo Zhi-Bin 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
The process of cadmium (Cd) accumulation and detoxification under different sulfur levels remains largely unknown in woody plants. To investigate the physiological and transcriptomic regulation mechanisms of poplars in response to different sulfate (S) supply levels and Cd exposure, we exposed Populus deltoides saplings to one of the low, moderate and high S levels together with either 0 or 50 µM Cd. Cd accumulation was decreased in low S-treated poplar leaves, and it tended to be increased in high S-supplied leaves under the Cd exposure condition. Sulfur nutrition was deficient in low S-supplied poplars, and it was improved in high S-treated leaves. Cd exposure resulted in lower sulfur level in the leaves supplied with moderate S, it exacerbated a Cd-induced sulfur decrease in low S-treated leaves and it caused a higher sulfur concentration in high S-supplied leaves. In line with the physiological changes, a number of mRNAs and microRNAs (miRNAs) involved in Cd accumulation and sulfur assimilation were identified and the miRNA–mRNA networks were dissected. In the networks, miR395 and miR399 members were identified as hub miRNAs and their targets were ATP sulfurylase 3 (ATPS3) and phosphate 2 (PHO2), respectively. These results suggest that Cd accumulation and sulfur assimilation are constrained by low and enhanced by high S supply, and Cd toxicity is aggravated by low and relieved by high S in poplar leaves, and that miRNA–mRNA regulatory networks play pivotal roles in sulfur-mediated Cd accumulation and detoxification in Cd-exposed poplars.
Psychosocial and coping responses toward 2019 coronavirus diseases (COVID-19): a cross-sectional study within the Chinese general population
Authors: Li Q 
Published: July 2020

Summary

Background
The 2019 coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) led out the mental health crisis.

Aim
To determine the psychological status and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSD) among general population (except confirmed and suspected cases, and close contacts) and their association with the coping strategy types during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Design
A cross-sectional study.

Methods
Participants were recruited from the community through snowball sampling with anonymous online questionnaires, using 28-item General Health Questionnaire, 22-item Impact of Events Scale-Revised and 28-item Brief Coping Inventory to measure their psychiatric disorders, PTSD level and coping strategies.

Results
Of the total 1109 participants, 42.65% and 67.09% self-reported psychiatric disorders and high PTSD level, respectively. Age, occupation and education level were significantly association with psychological status. The status of psychiatric disorders was also significantly related to high PTSD level. Using both emotion and problem coping was better for psychiatric status [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.72, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.54–0.98], and problem-focused coping was significantly associated with high PTSD level (aOR = 2.09, 95% CI: 1.25–3.51).

Conclusion
Negative psychological outcomes were common among the general people during the COVID-19 outbreak, and the findings may provide references for intervention guidelines of mental health for the community population.
Psoriatic arthritis epidemiology, comorbid disease profiles and risk factors: results from a claims database analysis
Authors: Rech Jürgen , Sticherling Michael , Stoessel Daniel , Biermann Mona H C , Häberle Benjamin M , Reinhardt Maximilian 
Published: July 2020

Abstract

Objective
Psoriasis is a systemic inflammatory disease often accompanied by comorbidities, including metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases and depression. Up to 41% of psoriasis patients develop psoriatic arthritis (PsA), making it one of the most relevant manifestations. A large health claims data set was analysed to determine the rate of PsA development in psoriasis patients. Furthermore, comorbid disease profiles of psoriasis patients with or without PsA were compared, and potential risk factors for the development of PsA were identified.

Methods
This was a non-interventional, retrospective analysis of anonymized insurance health claims data using a subset of the Institute of Applied Health Research Berlin (InGef) database. The primary outcome was the prevalence and incidence of diagnosed PsA among psoriasis patients in Germany. Risk factors for the development of PsA in psoriasis patients were determined by conditional logistic regression analysis.

Results
The cumulative percentage of patients with existing psoriasis developing concomitant PsA over 4 years was 3.44%, with a mean time to diagnosis of PsA of 1.5 years. Psoriasis patients diagnosed with acute rheumatism (odds ratio: 2.93, 95% CI = 1.76, 4.86; P &lt; 0.001) or pain in unspecific joints (odds ratio: 1.74, 95% CI = 1.01, 2.99; P = 0.047) showed an increased risk for development of PsA later on. Interestingly, fewer than half of the patients with concomitant PsA consulted a rheumatologist.

Conclusions
Unspecific arthritic symptoms are likely to precede PsA diagnoses and can develop soon after onset of psoriasis, with accumulating risk over time. There is a high unmet need for early rheumatological assessment of psoriasis patients.
Contribution of Pulmonary CYP-mediated Bioactivation of Naphthalene to Airway Epithelial Injury in the Lung
Authors: Kovalchuk Nataliia , Zhang Qing-Yu , Van Winkle Laura , Ding Xinxin 
Published: July 2020

Abstract
Previous studies have established that cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) in both liver and lung are capable of bioactivating naphthalene (NA), an omnipresent air pollutant and possible human carcinogen, in vitro and in vivo. The aim of this study was to examine the specific contribution of pulmonary CYPs in airway epithelial cells to NA-induced airway toxicity. We used a lung-Cpr-null mouse model, which undergoes doxycycline-induced, Cre-mediated deletion of the Cpr (a redox partner of all microsomal CYPs) gene specifically in airway epithelial cells. In 2-month-old lung-Cpr-null mice, Cpr deletion occurred in 75%–82% of epithelial cells of conducting airways. The extent of NA-induced acute lung toxicity (as indicated by total protein concentration and lactate dehydrogenase activity in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid collected at 24-h after initiation of a 4-h, nose-only, 10-ppm NA inhalation exposure) was substantially lower (by 37%–39%) in lung-Cpr-null mice, compared with control littermates. Moreover, the extent of cellular proliferation (as indicated by 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine incorporation) was noticeably lower in both proximal and distal airways (by 59% and 65%, respectively) of NA-treated lung-Cpr-null mice, compared with control littermates, at 2-day post-NA inhalation exposure. A similar genotype-related difference in the extent of postexposure cell proliferation was also observed in mice exposed to NA via intraperitoneal injection at 200 mg/kg. These results directly validate the hypothesis that microsomal CYP enzymes in airway epithelial cells play a large role in causing injury to airway epithelia following exposure to NA via either inhalation or intraperitoneal route.
Phylogenetic relationships and biogeographic range evolution in cat-eyed snakes,Boiga(Serpentes: Colubridae)
Authors: Weinell Jeffrey L , Barley Anthony J , Siler Cameron D , Orlov Nikolai L , Ananjeva Natalia B , Oaks Jamie R , Burbrink Frank T , Brown Rafe M 
Published: July 2020

AbstractThe genus Boiga includes 35, primarily arboreal snake species distributed from the Middle East to Australia and many islands in the western Pacific, with particularly high species diversity in South-East Asia. Despite including the iconic mangrove snakes (Boiga dendrophila complex) and the brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis; infamous for avian extinctions on small islands of the Pacific), species-level phylogenetic relationships and the biogeographic history of this ecologically and morphologically distinct clade are poorly understood. In this study, we sequenced mitochondrial and nuclear DNA for 24 Boiga species and used these data to estimate a robust phylogenetic inference, in order to (1) test the hypothesis that Boiga is monophyletic, (2) evaluate the validity of current species-level taxonomy and (3) examine whether geographic range evolution in Boiga is consistent with expectations concerning dispersal and colonization of vertebrates between continents and islands. Our results support the prevailing view that most dispersal events are downstream – from continents to oceanic islands – but we also identify a role for upstream dispersal from oceanic islands to continents. Additionally, the novel phylogeny of Boiga presented here is informative for updating species-level taxonomy within the genus.
The AAMC Standardized Video Interview: Lessons Learned From the Residency Selection Process
Authors: Gallahue Fiona E. , Deiorio Nicole M. , Blomkalns Andra , Bird Steven B. , Dunleavy Dana , Fraser Rebecca , Overton B. Renee 
Published: July 2020

Calls to change the residency selection process have increased in recent years, with many focusing on the need for holistic review and alternatives to academic metrics. One aspect of applicant performance to consider in holistic review is proficiency in behavioral competencies. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) developed the AAMC Standardized Video Interview (SVI), an online, asynchronous video interview that assesses applicants’ knowledge of professionalism and their interpersonal and communication skills. The AAMC worked with the emergency medicine community to pilot the SVI. Data from 4 years of research (Electronic Residency Application Service [ERAS] 2017–2020 cycles) show the SVI is a reliable, valid assessment of these behavioral competencies. It provides information not available in the ERAS application packet, and it does not disadvantage individuals or groups. Yet despite the SVI’s psychometric properties, the AAMC elected not to renew or expand the pilot in residency selection.
In this Invited Commentary, the authors share lessons learned from the AAMC SVI project about introducing a new tool for use in residency selection. They recommend that future projects endeavoring to find ways to support holistic review engage all stakeholders from the start; communicate the value of the new tool early and often; make direct comparisons with existing tools; give new tools time and space to succeed; strike a balance between early adopters and broad participation; help stakeholders understand the limitations of what a tool can do; and set clear expectations about both stakeholder input and pricing. They encourage the medical education community to learn from the SVI project and to consider future partnerships with the AAMC or other specialty organizations to develop new tools and approaches that prioritize the community’s needs. Finding solutions to the challenges facing residency selection should be a priority for all stakeholders.