bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Comparison of two different doses of bleomycin in electrochemotherapy protocols for feline cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma nonsegregated from ultraviolet light exposure
Authors: Dos Anjos Denner S. , Sierra Oscar R. , Spugnini Enrico P. , De Nardi Andrigo B. , Fonseca-Alves Carlos E. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractCutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is one of the most common skin tumors in cats due to chronic exposure to ultraviolet light. Local treatments such as electrochemotherapy (ECT) promote disease control or even complete remission. We hypothesize that cats could benefit from treatments using bleomycin at reduced dosages. A prospective nonrandomized single-blind study evaluated the clinical parameters, site lesion, staging, disease-free interval (DFI) and survival time by comparing the standard dose of bleomycin (15,000 UI/m2) (n = 22) with a reduced dose (10,000 UI/m2) (n = 34) in cats with cSCC that underwent ECT as the sole treatment modality. No statistically significant difference in DFI or overall survival was observed between the 2 groups. A higher DFI was found in cats with a small tumor size (less than 0.33 cm3) compared with that for cats with a large tumor size (P = 0.045). Furthermore, a reduced overall survival time for cats with a higher stage in the standard group SG (T3 and T4) (P = 0.004) was observed when compared to that for cats with a lower stage (T1 and T2). In conclusion, ECT using both doses of bleomycin may achieve the same response rate in terms of the overall response, DFI, and overall survival.
Mass wasting susceptibility assessment of snow avalanches using machine learning models
Authors: Choubin Bahram , Borji Moslem , Hosseini Farzaneh Sajedi , Mosavi Amirhosein , Dineva Adrienn A. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractSnow avalanche is among the most harmful natural hazards with major socioeconomic and environmental destruction in the cold and mountainous regions. The devastating propagation and accumulation of the snow avalanche debris and mass wasting of surface rocks and vegetation particles threaten human life, transportation networks, built environments, ecosystems, and water resources. Susceptibility assessment of snow avalanche hazardous areas is of utmost importance for mitigation and development of land-use policies. This research evaluates the performance of the well-known machine learning methods, i.e., generalized additive model (GAM), multivariate adaptive regression spline (MARS), boosted regression trees (BRT), and support vector machine (SVM), in modeling the mass wasting hazard induced by snow avalanches. The key features are identified by the recursive feature elimination (RFE) method and used for the model calibration. The results indicated a good performance of the modeling process (Accuracy > 0.88, Kappa > 0.76, Precision > 0.84, Recall > 0.86, and AUC > 0.89), which the SVM model highlighted superior performance than others. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the topographic position index (TPI) and distance to stream (DTS) were the most important variables which had more contribution in producing the susceptibility maps.
Cerebrospinal fluid lipidomic biomarker signatures of demyelination for multiple sclerosis and Guillain–Barré syndrome
Authors: Péter Mária , Török Wanda , Petrovics-Balog Anna , Vígh László , Vécsei László , Balogh Gábor 
Published: October 2020

AbstractMultiple sclerosis (MS) and Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) are demyelinating disorders affecting the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system (PNS), respectively. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is one of the most valuable sources of diagnostic biomarkers in neurological diseases. In the present study high sensitivity shotgun mass spectrometry was used to characterise the CSF lipidome of patients with MS, GBS and controls with non-demyelinating diseases. The quantification of 222 CSF lipid molecular species revealed characteristic changes in the absolute and relative lipid concentrations in MS and GBS compared to the controls. For the GBS group, the fourfold elevation in the total lipid content was a discriminatory and a newly identified feature of PNS demyelination. In contrast, in MS, the accumulation of the myelin-derived cerebrosides represented a specific feature of demyelination. As a common feature of demyelination, we identified upregulated levels of lipid metabolic intermediates. We found strong positive correlation between total protein content and lipid concentrations in both diseases. By exploring the CSF lipidome we demonstrate usefulness of broad-range shotgun lipidomic analysis as a fast and reliable method of biomarker discovery in patients with demyelinating neurological disorders that might be a valuable diagnostic complement to existing examinations.
Akt isoform-specific effects on thyroid cancer development and progression in a murine thyroid cancer model
Authors: Saji Motoyasu , Kim Caroline S. , Wang Chaojie , Zhang Xiaoli , Khanal Tilak , Coombes Kevin , La Perle Krista , Cheng Sheue-Yann , Tsichlis Philip N. , Ringel Matthew D. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThe Akt family is comprised of three unique homologous proteins with isoform-specific effects, but isoform-specific in vivo data are limited in follicular thyroid cancer (FTC), a PI3 kinase-driven tumor. Prior studies demonstrated that PI3K/Akt signaling is important in thyroid hormone receptor βPV/PV knock-in (PV) mice that develop metastatic thyroid cancer that most closely resembles FTC. To determine the roles of Akt isoforms in this model we crossed Akt1−/−, Akt2−/−, and Akt3−/− mice with PV mice. Over 12 months, thyroid size was reduced for the Akt null crosses (p < 0.001). Thyroid cancer development and local invasion were delayed in only the PVPV-Akt1 knock out (KO) mice in association with increased apoptosis with no change in proliferation. Primary-cultured PVPV-Akt1KO thyrocytes uniquely displayed a reduced cell motility. In contrast, loss of any Akt isoform reduced lung metastasis while vascular invasion was reduced with Akt1 or 3 loss. Microarray of thyroid RNA displayed incomplete overlap between the Akt KO models. The most upregulated gene was the dendritic cell (DC) marker CD209a only in PVPV-Akt1KO thyroids. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated an increase in CD209a-expressing cells in the PVPV-Akt1KO thyroids. In summary, Akt isoforms exhibit common and differential functions that regulate local and metastatic progression in this model of thyroid cancer.
Disrupted white matter integrity and network connectivity are related to poor motor performance
Authors: Zhai Feifei , Liu Jie , Su Ning , Han Fei , Zhou Lixin , Ni Jun , Yao Ming , Zhang Shuyang , Jin Zhengyu , Cui Liying , Tian Feng , Zhu Yicheng 
Published: October 2020

AbstractMotor impairment is common in the elderly population. Disrupted white matter tracts and the resultant loss of connectivity between cortical regions play an essential role in motor control. Using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), we investigated the effect of white matter microstructure on upper-extremity and lower-extremity motor function in a community-based sample. A total of 766 participants (57.3 ± 9.2 years) completed the assessment of motor performance, including 3-m walking speed, 5-repeat chair-stand time, 10-repeat hand pronation-supination time, and 10-repeat finger-tapping time. Fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), and structural network connectivity parameters were calculated based on DTI. Lower FA and higher MD were associated with poor performance in walking, chair-stand, hand pronation-supination, and finger-tapping tests, independent of the presence of lacunes, white matter hyperintensities volume, and brain atrophy. Reduced network density, network strength, and global efficiency related to slower hand pronation-supination and finger-tapping, but not related to walking speed and chair-stand time. Disrupted white matter integrity and reduced cerebral network connectivity were associated with poor motor performance. Diffusion-based methods provide a more in-depth insight into the neural basis of motor dysfunction.
Spatiotemporal identification of druggable binding sites using deep learning
Authors: Kozlovskii Igor , Popov Petr 
Published: October 2020

AbstractIdentification of novel protein binding sites expands druggable genome and opens new opportunities for drug discovery. Generally, presence or absence of a binding site depends on the three-dimensional conformation of a protein, making binding site identification resemble the object detection problem in computer vision. Here we introduce a computational approach for the large-scale detection of protein binding sites, that considers protein conformations as 3D-images, binding sites as objects on these images to detect, and conformational ensembles of proteins as 3D-videos to analyze. BiteNet is suitable for spatiotemporal detection of hard-to-spot allosteric binding sites, as we showed for conformation-specific binding site of the epidermal growth factor receptor, oligomer-specific binding site of the ion channel, and binding site in G protein-coupled receptor. BiteNet outperforms state-of-the-art methods both in terms of accuracy and speed, taking about 1.5 minutes to analyze 1000 conformations of a protein with ~2000 atoms.
Understanding the interactions between the bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide anion and absorbed CO2 using X-ray diffraction analysis of a soft crystal surrogate
Authors: Zheng Xin , Fukuhara Katsuo , Hijikata Yuh , Pirillo Jenny , Sato Hiroyasu , Takahashi Kiyonori , Noro Shin-ichiro , Nakamura Takayoshi 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThe selective carbon dioxide (CO2) absorption properties of ionic liquids (ILs) are highly pertinent to the development of methods to capture CO2. Although it has been reported that fluorinated components give ILs enhanced CO2 solubilities, it has been challenging to gain a deep understanding of the interactions occurring between ILs and CO2. In this investigation, we have utilized the soft crystalline material [Cu(NTf2)2(bpp)2] (NTf2‒ = bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, bpp = 1,3-bis-(4-pyridyl)propane) as a surrogate for single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis to visualize interactions occurring between CO2 and NTf2‒, the fluorinated IL component that is responsible for high CO2 solubility. Analysis of the structure of a CO2-loaded crystal reveals that CO2 interacts with both fluorine and oxygen atoms of NTf2‒ anions in a trans rather than cis conformation about the S–N bond. Theoretical analysis of the structure of the CO2-loaded crystal indicates that dispersion and electrostatic interactions exist between CO2 and the framework. The overall results provide important insight into understanding and improving the CO2 absorption properties of ILs.
Cognitive Flexibility for Semantic and Perceptual Information in Developmental Stuttering
Authors: Anderson Julie D. , Wagovich Stacy A. , Ofoe Levi 
Published: October 2020

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to examine cognitive flexibility for semantic and perceptual information in preschool children who stutter (CWS) and who do not stutter (CWNS).MethodParticipants were 44 CWS and 44 CWNS between the ages of 3;0 and 5;11 (years;months). Cognitive flexibility was measured using semantic and perceptual categorization tasks. In each task, children were required to match a target object with two different semantic or perceptual associates. Main dependent variables were reaction time and accuracy.ResultsThe accuracy with which CWS and CWNS shifted between one semantic and perceptual representation to another was similar, but the CWS did so significantly more slowly. Both groups of children had more difficulty switching between perceptual representations than semantic ones.ConclusionCWS are less efficient (slower), though not less accurate, than CWNS in their ability to switch between different representations in both the verbal and nonverbal domains.
Speechreading Ability Is Related to Phonological Awareness and Single-Word Reading in Both Deaf and Hearing Children
Authors: Buchanan-Worster Elizabeth , MacSweeney Mairéad , Pimperton Hannah , Kyle Fiona , Harris Margaret , Beedie Indie , Ralph-Lewis Amelia , Hulme Charles 
Published: October 2020

Purpose
Speechreading (lipreading) is a correlate of reading ability in both deaf and hearing children. We investigated whether the relationship between speechreading and single-word reading is mediated by phonological awareness in deaf and hearing children.

Method
In two separate studies, 66 deaf children and 138 hearing children, aged 5–8 years old, were assessed on measures of speechreading, phonological awareness, and single-word reading. We assessed the concurrent relationships between latent variables measuring speechreading, phonological awareness, and single-word reading.

Results
In both deaf and hearing children, there was a strong relationship between speechreading and single-word reading, which was fully mediated by phonological awareness.

Conclusions
These results are consistent with ideas from previous studies that visual speech information contributes to the development of phonological representations in both deaf and hearing children, which, in turn, support learning to read. Future longitudinal and training studies are required to establish whether these relationships reflect causal effects.
Is Lugol necessary for endoscopic resection of esophageal squamous cell neoplasia?
Authors: Costa-Santos Maria Pia , Ferreira Alexandre Oliveira , Mouradides Christina , Pérez-Cuadrado-Robles Enrique , Yeung Ralph , Garcés-Duran Rodrigo , Snauwaert Christophe , Dano Hélène , Piessevaux Hubert , Deprez Pierre H. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractBackground and study aims Recent evidence suggests that lugol chromoendoscopy (LCE) and narrow-band imaging (NBI) have comparable sensitivity for detection of superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). However, LCE is time-consuming and associated with side effects. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of NBI and LCE in defining resection margins of esophageal SCC.Patients and methods This was a retrospective observational cohort study of patients with esophageal SCC and dysplasia who underwent en-bloc resection between 1999 and 2017 at the Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels. Two groups were defined: 1) inspection with NBI only; and 2) inspection with LCE (with or without NBI). The primary endpoint was complete lateral resection rate. Multivariate regression was used to adjust for potential confounders.Results A total of 102 patients with 132 lesions were included. Lesions were inspected with LCE in 52 % (n = 68) and with NBI only in 48 % (n = 64). Lesions 0-IIa were more frequent in the NBI group (37 %) and 0-IIb (60 %) in LCE. Lesion location, size, and histology and resection technique (endoscopic submucosal dissection in 122/132 cases, 92 %) were similar between the groups. The rate of complete lateral resection for invasive carcinoma was 90 % in LCE group and 94 % in NBI group (P = 0.498) and 65 % and 67 % (P = 0.813), respectively, for dysplasia complete lateral resection. These results remained non-significant after adjusting for potential confounders.Conclusions Mucosal inspection and delineation of tumors with lugol chromoendoscopy before endoscopic resection of esophageal squamous cell lesions was not associated with increased complete lateral resection rate when compared to NBI.
A Task-Specific Ionic-Liquid-Mediated Solvent-Free Protocol for Direct Access to Dimethyl Acetal Protected Benzimidazole 2-Carboxaldehydes
Authors: Majumdar Swapan , Deb Barnali , Chakraborty Ankita , Hossain Jewel 
Published: October 2020

AbstractA robust and straightforward protocol has been developed for the synthesis of a diverse array of dimethyl acetal protected benz­imidazole-2-carboxaldehydes by reacting various 2-amino aniline derivatives with methyl 4,4-dimethoxy-3-oxobutanoate using the task-specific­ imidazolium ionic liquid (HBIm·TFA) as a promoter for N-C/C-N annulation processes. The present protocol offers several advantages over existing protocols, such as single-step process, short reaction times, very mild reaction conditions, high yields, ease of purification, recovery and reusability of the catalyst, and scale-up of the reaction.
The Impact of Hypernatremia in Preterm Infants on Neurodevelopmental Outcome at 18 Months of Corrected Age
Authors: Howell Heather B. , Lin Matthew , Zaccario Michele , Kazmi Sadaf , Sklamberg Felice , Santaniello Nicholas , Wachtel Elena 
Published: October 2020

Objective The study objective was to assess the correlation between hypernatremia during the first week of life and neurodevelopmental outcomes at 18 months of corrected age in premature infants.Study Design A retrospective observational study of preterm infants born at less than 32 weeks of gestation who had a neurodevelopmental assessment with the Bayley scales of infant and toddler development III at 18 ± 6 months of corrected age. Serum sodium levels from birth through 7 days of life were collected. The study cohort was divided into two groups: infants with a peak serum sodium of >145 mmol/L (hypernatremia group) and infants with a peak serum sodium level of <145 mmol/L (no hypernatremia group). Prenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal hospital course and neurodevelopmental data at 18 ± 6 months were collected. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the correlation between neonatal hypernatremia and neurodevelopment with adjustment for selected population characteristics.Results Eighty-eight preterm infants with complete neurodevelopmental outcome data at 18 ± 6 months of corrected gestational age were included in the study. Thirty-five neonates were in the hypernatremia group and 53 were in the no hypernatremia group. Maternal and neonatal characteristics were similar between the two groups except that the hypernatremia group had a significantly lower average birth weight and gestational age. Comparison of the mean neurodevelopmental scores between the two groups showed that patients in the hypernatremia group as compared with those in the no hypernatremia group had significantly lower neurodevelopmental scaled scores in the fine motor domain (p = 0.01). This difference remained significant (p = 0.03, odds ratio [OR] = 0.8, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.6–0.97) when adjusted for birth weight and gestational age.Conclusion Preterm infants born at less than 32 weeks of gestation with hypernatremia in the first week of life have lower fine motor scores at 18 months of corrected age.Key Points
Role of Religious Practices in the Spread and Mitigation of COVID-19
Authors: Sandhu Simarpreet V. , Sandhu Hardas S. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThe World Health Organization (WHO) declared novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a global pandemic on March 11, 2020 which engulfed the world like wild fire in less than 2 months. It has played havoc with the lives of people restricting their movement, confining them to their homes for months, devastating the economy, and causing psychological issues in some of them. In the unprecedented threat of the COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating impact on communities and nations across the globe, religious leaders and faith-based organizations may play a crucial role in saving lives and mitigating the spread of the disease. Religious leaders and faith-based organizations are primary source of support, comfort, guidance, direct health care and social service, for the communities they serve and people who have staunch belief in them. Most of the religious-minded people visit their places of worship frequently and often join the congregations on special occasions, making them vulnerable to any infectious disease prevailing at that time. Ensuring awareness and dispelling pseudoscientific practices is a necessity for such communities in India to contain and control the coronavirus infection, as it presents unique threat owing to the geographical vastness and the complexity of its cultural and religious diversity, beliefs, and practices coexisting with poor social indicators in this country. A study was conducted to understand the role of religious practices in the spread and mitigation of COVID-19.
Birthweight and Chemotherapy Exposure in Women Diagnosed with Breast Cancer during Pregnancy
Authors: Freret Taylor S. , Exman Pedro , Mayer Erica L. , Little Sarah E. , Economy Katherine E. 
Published: October 2020

Objective Breast cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers in pregnancy and is commonly treated with chemotherapy. To date, studies examining effects of chemotherapy during pregnancy on fetal growth have yielded conflicting results, and most are limited by small sample sizes or are nonspecific with respect to cytotoxic regimen or type of cancer treated. We sought to evaluate the effect of chemotherapy for breast cancer in pregnancy on birthweight and small for gestational age infants.
Study Design This is a retrospective cohort study of 74 women diagnosed with pathologically confirmed breast cancer during pregnancy between 1997 and 2018 at one of three academic medical centers, who had a singleton birth with known birthweight. Forty-nine received chemotherapy and 25 did not receive chemotherapy. Linear regression modeling was used to compare birthweight (by gestational age and sex-specific z-score) by chemotherapy exposure. Subanalyses of specific chemotherapy regimen and duration of chemotherapy exposure were also performed. Placental, neonatal, and maternal outcomes were also analyzed by chemotherapy exposure.
Results In the adjusted model, chemotherapy exposure was associated with lower birthweight (Δ z-score = −0.49, p = 0.03), but similar rates of small for gestational age (defined as birthweight <10th percentile for gestational age) infants (8.2 vs. 8.0%, p = 1.0; Fisher's exact test). Each additional week of chemotherapy (Δ z-score = −0.05, p = 0.03) was associated with decreased birthweight, although no association was found with specific chemotherapy regimen. Chemotherapy exposure was associated with lower median placental weight percentile by gestational age (9th vs. 75th, p < 0.05). Secondary maternal outcomes were similar between the group that did and did not receive chemotherapy.
Conclusion Chemotherapy for breast cancer in pregnancy in this cohort is associated with lower birthweight but no difference in the rate of small for gestational age infants.
Key Points
Causes and consequences of asymmetric lateral plume flow during South Atlantic rifting
Authors: Morgan Jason P. , Taramón Jorge M. , Araujo Mario , Hasenclever Jörg , Perez-Gussinye Marta 
Published: October 2020

Significance
This article tackles the longstanding question of why some continental rifting was associated with major pulses of excess volcanism that formed “volcanic rifted margins,” yet other rifting, even nearby, was not. After reviewing the South Atlantic rifting exemplar, we present results from an improved type of three-dimensional calculation of mantle flow that avoids many of the artificial boundary condition-related pitfalls in prior numerical studies that did not predict asymmetric rift-related volcanism. Our experiments match the observed development of asymmetric volcanism during South Atlantic rifting, with important implications for plume-influenced rifting of continents. In particular, the scenario does not require a conventionally assumed “starting plume head” to provide the hotter-than-average mantle that induces excess rift magmatism.