bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Conditional Survival of Patients Who Underwent Curative Resection for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Shin Dong Wook , Kim Hong Kwan , Cho Jongho , Lee Genehee , Cho Juhee , Yoo Jung Eun , Shin Sumin , Choi Yong Soo , Shim Young Mog , Zo Jae Ill 
Published: October 2020

Objective:
To analyze conditional survival estimates of patients with esophageal cancer who underwent curative resection.

Summary Background Data:
Conditional survival reflects dynamic prognosis updated to the current status and is a more relevant indicator for current healthcare and life decisions.

Methods:
This study included 1883 patients who underwent complete resection for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma at a tertiary cancer center from 1994 to 2016. We calculated 5-year (5Y) conditional overall survival (COS), conditional recurrence-free survival (CRFS), and conditional relative survival (CRS) estimates from diagnosis to 5 years of survival.

Results:
The 5Y COS, CRFS, and CRS increased from 63.7%, 65.2%, and 70.2% at diagnosis to 75.8%, 91.9%, and 86.4 at 5 years after diagnosis, respectively. While there were large differences with different stages (stage I, II, III) at diagnosis (81.2%, 64.9%, and 37.3% for COS; 85.1, 65.1%, and 67.9% for CRFS; 89.2%, 72.1%, and 41.1% for CRS), the gap decreased with time; rates were similar after 5 years (77.1%, 75.7%, and 72.6% for COS; 91.7%, 90.6%, and 94.5% for CRFS, and 89.3%, 85.4%, and 78.3% in CRS, respectively). The 5Y COS, CRFS, and CRS were persistently lower in older patients even after 5 years.

Conclusions:
Conditional survival estimates generally increase over time, and the largest improvements were observed for patients with advanced stage. Availability of updated prognosis at various time points allows clinicians to better guide their patients. Our results also imply substantial residual risk of recurrence and sustained excess mortality compared to the general population even after 5 years.
Magnetic Resonance Elastography Versus Transient Elastography in the Prediction of Complications After Resection for Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Bae Jae Seok , Lee Dong Ho , Yi Nam-Joon , Lee Kwang-Woong , Suh Kyung-Suk , Kim Haeryoung , Lee Kyung Bun , Choi Yunhee 
Published: October 2020

Objective:
To compare the performances of MRE and TE for predicting severe complications after HR in patients with HCC.

Summary of Background Data:
LSM may have the potential to predict outcomes after HR in HCC patients.

Methods:
Consecutive patients who underwent HR for HCC between 2017 and 2019 were retrospectively enrolled. Before HR, LSM was performed in all patients using both MRE and TE. All postoperative complications were assessed using the comprehensive complication index (CCI). Severe postoperative complications were defined as a CCI ≥26.2. The performances of MRE and TE for predicting high CCI and diagnosing liver fibrosis were compared using the area under the receiver-operating-characteristic curve (AUROC). Uni-/multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with high CCI.

Results:
Among the 208 enrolled patients, 28 patients (13.5%) had high CCI. For detecting high CCI, MRE had an AUROC of 0.874 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.821–0.916], which was significantly higher than the AUROC of TE (0.756; 95% CI, 0.692–0.813) (P = 0.020). MRE outperformed TE in detecting fibrosis of ≥F2 (AUROC: 0.935 vs 0.767; P = 0.008), ≥F3 (AUROC: 0.902 vs 0.774; P = 0.001) and F4 (AUROC: 0.916 vs 0.767; P < 0.001). LSM by MRE was independently associated with high CCI (odds ratio, 4.207 per kPa; 95% CI, 1.862–9.504; P < 0.001), whereas LSM by TE was not.

Conclusions:
MRE better predicted severe postoperative complications than TE in HCC patients who underwent HR. LSM by MRE was independently associated with high CCI after HR.
Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery Outcomes Improved After National Training Program (LAPCO) for Specialists in England
Authors: Hanna George B. , Mackenzie Hugh , Miskovic Danilo , Ni Melody , Wyles Susannah , Aylin Paul , Parvaiz Amjad , Cecil Tom , Gudgeon Andrew , Griffith John , Robinson Jonathan M. , Selvasekar Chelliah , Rockall Tim , Acheson Austin , Maxwell-Armstrong Charles , Jenkins John T. , Horgan Alan , Cunningham Chris , Lindsey Ian , Arulampalam Tan , Motson Roger W. , Francis Nader K. , Kennedy Robin H. , Coleman Mark G. 
Published: October 2020

Objective:
To examine the impact of The National Training Program for Lapco on the rate of laparoscopic surgery and clinical outcomes of cases performed by Lapco surgeons after completion of training.

Summary of Background Data:
Lapco provided competency-based supervised clinical training for specialist colorectal surgeons in England.

Methods:
We compared the rate of laparoscopic surgery, mortality, and morbidity for colorectal cancer resections by Lapco delegates and non-Lapco surgeons in 3-year periods preceding and following Lapco using difference in differences analysis. The changes in the rate of post-Lapco laparoscopic surgery with the Lapco sign-off competency assessment and in-training global assessment scores were examined using risk-adjusted cumulative sum to determine their predictive clinical validity with predefined competent scores of 3 and 5 respectively.

Results:
One hundred eight Lapco delegates performed 4586 elective colo-rectal resections pre-Lapco and 5115 post-Lapco while non-Lapco surgeons performed 72,930 matched cases. Lapco delegates had a 37.8% increase in laparoscopic surgery which was greater than non-Lapco surgeons by 20.9% [95% confidence interval (CI), 18.5–23.3, P < 0.001) with a relative decrease in 30-day mortality by -1.6% (95% CI, -3.4 to -0.2, P = 0.039) and 90-day mortality by -2.3% (95% CI, -4.3 to -0.4, P = 0.018). The change point of risk-adjusted cumulative sum was 3.12 for competency assessment tool and 4.74 for global assessment score whereas laparoscopic rate increased from 44% to 66% and 40% to 56%, respectively.

Conclusions:
Lapco increased the rate of laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery and reduced mortality and morbidity in England. In-training competency assessment tools predicted clinical performance after training.
A bioenergetic model to predict habitability, biomass and biosignatures in astrobiology and extreme conditions
Authors: Higgins P. M. , Cockell C. S. 
Published: October 2020

In order to grow, reproduce and evolve life requires a supply of energy and nutrients. Astrobiology has the challenge of studying life on Earth in environments which are poorly characterized or extreme, usually both, and predicting the habitability of extraterrestrial environments. We have developed a general astrobiological model for assessing the energetic and nutrient availability of poorly characterized environments to predict their potential biological productivity. NutMEG (nutrients, maintenance, energy and growth) can be used to estimate how much biomass an environment could host, and how that life might affect the local chemistry. It requires only an overall catabolic reaction and some knowledge of the local environment to begin making estimations, with many more customizable parameters, such as microbial adaptation. In this study, the model was configured to replicate laboratory data on the growth of methanogens. It was used to predict the effect of temperature and energy/nutrient limitation on their microbial growth rates, total biomass levels, and total biosignature production in laboratory-like conditions to explore how it could be applied to astrobiological problems. As temperature rises from 280 to 330 K, NutMEG predicts exponential drops in final biomass (

10
9

−

10
6

cells

l

−
1

) and total methane production (

62

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3

μ

M

) despite an increase in peak growth rates (

0.007

−

0.14

h

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1

) for a typical methanogen in ideal conditions. This is caused by the increasing cost of microbial maintenance diverting energy away from growth processes. Restricting energy and nutrients exacerbates this trend. With minimal assumptions NutMEG can reliably replicate microbial growth behaviour, but better understanding of the synthesis and maintenance costs life must overcome in different extremes is required to improve its results further. NutMEG can help us assess the theoretical habitability of extraterrestrial environments and predict potential biomass and biosignature production, for example on exoplanets using minimum input parameters to guide observations.
Seminal fluid and accessory male investment in sperm competition
Authors: Ramm Steven A. 
Published: October 2020

Sperm production and allocation strategies have been a central concern of sperm competition research for the past 50 years. But during the ‘sexual cascade’ there may be strong selection for alternative routes to maximizing male fitness. Especially with the evolution of internal fertilization, a common and by now well-studied example is the accessory ejaculate investment represented by seminal fluid, the complex mixture of proteins, peptides and other components transferred to females together with sperm. How seminal fluid investment should covary with sperm investment probably depends on the mechanism of seminal fluid action. If seminal fluid components boost male paternity success by directly enhancing sperm function or use, we might often expect a positive correlation between the two forms of male investment, whereas trade-offs seem more likely if seminal fluid acts independently of sperm. This is largely borne out by a broad taxonomic survey to establish the prevailing patterns of seminal fluid production and allocation during animal evolution, in light of which I discuss the gaps that remain in our understanding of this key ejaculate component and its relationship to sperm investment, before outlining promising approaches for examining seminal fluid-mediated sperm competitiveness in the post-genomic era.This article is part of the theme issue ‘Fifty years of sperm competition’.
TheDrosophilaseminal proteome and its role in postcopulatory sexual selection
Authors: Wigby Stuart , Brown Nora C. , Allen Sarah E. , Misra Snigdha , Sitnik Jessica L. , Sepil Irem , Clark Andrew G. , Wolfner Mariana F. 
Published: October 2020

Postcopulatory sexual selection (PCSS), comprised of sperm competition and cryptic female choice, has emerged as a widespread evolutionary force among polyandrous animals. There is abundant evidence that PCSS can shape the evolution of sperm. However, sperm are not the whole story: they are accompanied by seminal fluid substances that play many roles, including influencing PCSS. Foremost among seminal fluid models isDrosophila melanogaster, which displays ubiquitous polyandry, and exhibits intraspecific variation in a number of seminal fluid proteins (Sfps) that appear to modulate paternity share. Here, we first consolidate current information on the identities ofD. melanogasterSfps. Comparing betweenD. melanogasterand human seminal proteomes, we find evidence of similarities between many protein classes and individual proteins, including someD. melanogasterSfp genes linked to PCSS, suggesting evolutionary conservation of broad-scale functions. We then review experimental evidence for the functions ofD. melanogasterSfps in PCSS and sexual conflict. We identify gaps in our current knowledge and areas for future research, including an enhanced identification of PCSS-related Sfps, their interactions with rival sperm and with females, the role of qualitative changes in Sfps and mechanisms of ejaculate tailoring.This article is part of the theme issue ‘Fifty years of sperm competition’.
Sperm competition when transfer is dangerous
Authors: Tuni Cristina , Schneider Jutta , Uhl Gabriele , Herberstein Marie E. 
Published: October 2020

Aggressive and cannibalistic female spiders can impose strong selection on male mating and fertilization strategies. Furthermore, the distinctive reproductive morphology of spiders is predicted to influence the outcome of sperm competition. Polyandry is common in spiders, leading to defensive male strategies that include guarding, plugging and self-sacrifice. Paternity patterns are highly variable and unlikely to be determined solely by mating order, but rather by relative copulation duration, deployment of plugs and cryptic female choice. The ability to strategically allocate sperm is limited, either by the need to refill pedipalps periodically or owing to permanent sperm depletion after mating. Further insights now rely on unravelling several proximate mechanisms such as the process of sperm activation and the role of seminal fluids.This article is part of the theme issue ‘Fifty years of sperm competition’.
Sperm competition in squamate reptiles
Authors: Friesen Christopher R. , Kahrl Ariel F. , Olsson Mats 
Published: October 2020

Multiple paternity is ubiquitous within the polyphyletic group called ‘reptiles', especially within the lizards and snakes. Therefore, the probability of sperm competition occurring, and being intense, is high. Squamates exhibit a diversity of tactics to ensure fertilization success in the face of sperm competition. The duration of female sperm storage, which can be many months and even years in some species, remains an enigma. Here, we emphasize some mechanisms that might affect patterns of paternity, the source and function of ejaculates and features of the female reproductive tract that may aid in long-term sperm storage. In doing so, we present a new analysis of the relationship between sperm size, the strength of sperm competition and the duration of female sperm storage. Lizards and snakes are a diverse group that has provided many excellent models for the study of an array of life-history strategies. However, when it comes to postcopulatory sexual selection, there is much left to discover.This article is part of the theme issue ‘Fifty years of sperm competition'.
Predictors of severe symptomatic laboratory-confirmed SARS-COV-2 reinfection
Authors: Murillo-Zamora Efrén , Mendoza-Cano Oliver , Delgado-Enciso Iván , Hernandez-Suarez Carlos M. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractBackgroundThere is a major concern regarding the prognosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients who recovered to first-time illness.ObjectiveTo evaluate factors predicting severe symptomatic laboratory-confirmed (reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, RT-qPCR) SARS-COV-2 (severe acute coronavirus-2) reinfection.MethodWe conducted a nationwide retrospective cohort study in Mexico and data from 258 reinfection cases (at least 28 days between both episodes onset) were analyzed. We used risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) to evaluate predictors of severe (dyspnea requiring hospital admission) secondary SARS-COV-2 infection.ResultsThe risk of severe disease was 14.7% and the observed overall fatality rate was 4.3%. Patients with more serious primary disease were more likely to develop severe symptoms (39.5% vs. 5.5%, p < 0.001) during reinfection. In multiple analysis, factors associated with an increased risk of severe symptomatic SARS-COV-2 reinfection were increasing age (RR per year = 1.007, 95% CI 1.003-1.010), comorbidities (namely obesity [RR = 1.12, 95% CI 1.01-1.24], asthma [RR = 1.26, 95% CI 1.06-1.50], type 2 diabetes mellitus [RR = 1.22, 95% CI 1.07 - 1.38] and previous severe laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 (RR = 1.20, 95% CI 1.03-1.39).ConclusionsTo the best of our knowledge this is the first study evaluating disease outcomes in a large set of laboratory-positive cases of symptomatic SARS-COV-2 reinfection and factors associated with illness severity was characterized. Our results may contribute to the current knowledge of SARS-COV-2 pathogenicity and to identify populations at increased risk of a poorer outcome after reinfection.
Tracking SARS-CoV-2 RNA through the wastewater treatment process
Authors: Ali Hala Abu , Yaniv Karin , Bar-Zeev Edo , Chaudhury Sanhita , Shaga Marilou , Lakkakula Satish , Ronen Zeev , Kushmaro Ariel , Nir Oded 
Published: October 2020

ABSTRACTThe municipal sewage carries the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), shed by COVID-19 patients, to wastewater treatment plants. Proper wastewater treatment can provide an important barrier for preventing uncontrolled discharged of the virus into the environment. However, the role of the different wastewater treatment stages in reducing virus concentrations was, thus far, unknown. In this work, we quantified SARS-CoV-RNA in the raw sewage and along the main stages of the wastewater process from two different plants in Israel during this COVID-19 outbreak. We found that ca. 2 Log removal could be attained after primary and secondary treatment. Despite this removal, significant concentrations of SARS-CoV-RNA (>100 copies per mL) could still be detected in the treated wastewater. However, after treatment by chlorination, SARS-CoV-RNA was detected only once, likely due to insufficient chlorine dose. Our results highlight the need to protect wastewater treatment plants operators, as well as populations living near areas of wastewater discharge, from the risk of infection. In addition, our results emphasize the capabilities and limitations of the conventional wastewater treatment process in reducing SARS-CoV-RNA concentration, and present preliminary evidence for the importance of tertiary treatment and chlorination in reducing SARA-CoV-2 dissemination.
Metapopulation connectivity in Voles (Microtussp.) as a gauge for tallgrass prairie restoration in midwestern North America
Authors: Douglas Marlis R. , Anthonysamy Whitney J.B. , Davis Mark A. , Mulligan Matthew P. , Schooley Robert L. , Louis Wade , Douglas Michael E. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractApplying quantifiable metrics to validate the success of restoration efforts is crucial for ongoing management programs in anthropogenically fragmented habitats. Estimates of dispersal can provide such baseline data because they measure not only the extent to which restored patches are colonized and interconnected, but also their metapopulation source/sink dynamics. In this context, we estimated dispersal and population connectivity among prairie (Microtus ochrogaster; N=231) and meadow vole (M. pennsylvanicus; N=83), sampled from eight restored plots at five tallgrass prairie sites embedded within the agricultural matrix of midwestern North America. Our expectation was that extensive distances separating these restored habitats (i.e., 48–246 km) would spatially isolate vole metapopulations, resulting in significant genetic differentiation. We first used molecular taxonomy to validate the field-identifications of all sampled individuals, then used pairwiseFSTderived from 15 microsatellite DNA loci to estimate genetic connectivity among the species-delimited study populations. Metapopulation stability was gauged by assessing migration rates and deriving effective population sizes (Ne). We also calculated relatedness values (r) as a potential surrogate for contact in prairie vole, a primary vector for Lyme disease. Molecular species-assignments contravened field-identifications in 25% of samples (11 prairie/67 meadow) and identified two instances of species-hybridization (0.6%). Local effects (i.e., population crash/drought) were manifested at two sites, as documented by significant temporal declines inNeandr. Overall, high migration rates and non-significant (10/15) pairwiseFSTvalues underscored elevated metapopulation connectivity. A single site that recorded five significantFSTvalues also displayed significantr-values indicating the inadvertent sampling of closely related individuals. This highlights the close social groupings among cooperatively-breeding prairie vole that can exacerbate Lyme disease transmission. Thus, while elevated population connectivity aligns with prairie restoration goals, it also reinforces a need in adaptive management to evaluate environmental matrices for their permeability to vector-borne diseases.
Explore the Potential of a Plant Phospholipase as an Antimicrobial
Authors: Chen Curtis , Xu Shanhui , Li Yanran 
Published: October 2020

AbstractGlobal public health is increasingly threatened by the fast emergence of antibiotic resistance, and novel types of antibiotics are urgently needed. Metazoans have evolved their own antimicrobial mechanism, such as human group IIA secreted phospholipase A (sPLA2), which can efficiently inhibit the growth of gram-positive bacteria, but with much lower efficiency toward gram-negative bacteria. Here, we verified the antibacterial activity of a plant lipase, PLIP1 fromArabidopsis thaliana, against the gram-negative bacteriaEscherichia coli, which belongs to the WHO priority 1 (critical) pathogenEnterobacteriaceaefamily. We also explored the potential of evolving PLIP1 as a more potent antimicrobial agent towardsE. coli. Our results imply the possibility of using plant lipases as a potential antimicrobial and shed light on the future exploration of plant enzymes for novel and more efficient antibacterial agents.
Distal CA1 maintains a more coherent spatial representation than proximal CA1 when local and global cues conflict
Authors: Deshmukh Sachin S. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractEntorhinal cortical projections show segregation along the transverse axis of CA1, with the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) sending denser projections to proximal CA1 (pCA1) and the lateral entorhinal cortex (LEC) sending denser projections to distal CA1 (dCA1). Previous studies have reported functional segregation along the transverse axis of CA1 correlated with the functional differences in MEC and LEC. pCA1 shows higher spatial selectivity than dCA1 in these studies. We employ a double rotation paradigm, which creates an explicit conflict between local and global cues, to understand differential contributions of these reference frames to the spatial code in pCA1 and dCA1. We show that pCA1 and dCA1 respond differently to this local-global cue conflict. pCA1 shows incoherent response consistent with the strong conflicting inputs it receives from MEC and distal CA3 (dCA3). In contrast, dCA1 shows a more coherent rotation with global cues. In addition, pCA1 and dCA1 display comparable levels of spatial selectivity in this study. This finding differs from the previous studies, perhaps due to richer sensory information available in our behavior arena. Together these observations indicate that the functional segregation along proximodistal axis of CA1 is not merely of the amount of spatial selectivity but that of the nature of the different inputs utilized to create and anchor spatial representations.
Stromal cells regulate malignant B-cell spatial organization, survival, and drug response in a new 3D model mimicking lymphoma tumor niche
Authors: Lamaison Claire , Latour Simon , Hélaine Nelson , Morvan Valérie Le , Monvoisin Céline , Mahouche Isabelle , Dussert Christelle , Dessauge Elise , Pangault Céline , Seffals Marine , Broca-Brisson Léa , Alessandri Kévin , Soubeyran Pierre , Mourcin Frédéric , Nassoy Pierre , Recher Gaëlle , Tarte Karin , Bresson-Bepoldin Laurence 
Published: October 2020

ABSTRACTNon-Hodgkin B-cell lymphomas (B-NHL) mainly develop within lymph nodes as densely packed aggregates of tumor cells and their surrounding microenvironment, creating a tumor niche specific to each lymphoma subtypes. Until now,in vitropreclinical models mimicking biomechanical forces, cellular microenvironment, and 3D organization of B lymphomas remain scarce while all these parameters constitute key determinants of lymphomagenesis and drug resistance. Using a microfluidic method based on the encapsulation of cells inside permeable, elastic, and hollow alginate microspheres, we developed a new tunable 3D-model incorporating extracellular matrix and/or stromal cells. Lymphoma B cells and stromal cells dynamically formed self-organized 3D spheroids, thus initiating a coevolution of these two cell types, reflecting their bidirectional crosstalk, and recapitulating the heterogeneity of B-NHL subtypes. In addition, this approach makes it suitable to assess in a relevantin vitromodel the activity of new therapeutic agents in B-NHL.