bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Benzene and its effects on cell signaling pathways related to hematopoiesis and leukemia
Authors: Lu Peter C.W. , Shahbaz Sara , Winn Louise M. 
Published: February 2020

AbstractBenzene is an environmental toxicant found in many consumer products. It is an established human carcinogen and is known to cause acute myeloid leukemia in adults. Epidemiological evidence has since shown that benzene can cross the placenta and affect the fetal liver. Animal studies have shown that in utero exposure to benzene can increase tumor incidence in offspring. Although there have been risk factors established for acute myeloid leukemia, they still do not account for many of the cases. Clearly then, current efforts to elucidate the mechanism by which benzene exerts its carcinogenic properties have been superficial. Owing to the critical role of cell signaling pathways in the development of an organism and its various organ systems, it seems plausible to suspect that these pathways may have a role in leukemogenesis. This review article assesses current evidence of the effects of benzene on critical hematopoietic signaling pathways. Pathways discussed included Hedgehog, Notch/Delta, Wingless/Integrated, nuclear factor‐kappaB and others. Following a review of the literature, it seems that current evidence about the effects of benzene on these critical signaling pathways remains limited. Given the important role of these pathways in hematopoiesis, more attention should be given to them.
The ratio of superoxide dismutase to standard deviation of erythrocyte distribution width as a predictor of systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Yan Ling , Wang Bo , Chen Shizhi , Zhou Hua , Li Pu , Zhou Lijing , Zhao Qing , Wang Bo , Chen Weixian 
Published: February 2020

AbstractBackgroundTo explore the clinical value of the serum superoxide dismutase‐to‐standard deviation of erythrocyte distribution width ratio (SRSR) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).MethodsA total of 222 SLE patients from the Rheumatology and Immunology Department in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from January 2017 to April 2019 were collected as the experimental group, and a total of 202 healthy physical examiners were extracted as the control group. Neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR), superoxide dismutase‐to‐standard deviation of erythrocyte distribution width ratio (SRSR), and platelet‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (PLR) were calculated from the collected data and then compared the level of the above three indexes between the two groups. In addition, we analyzed the association between SRSR and clinically relevant indicators.ResultsWe found that the SRSR of SLE patients was significantly lower than healthy control group, by analyzing the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve; it revealed that the SRSR had higher specificity and sensitivity than either superoxide dismutase (SOD) or standard deviation of erythrocyte distribution width (RDW‐SD) alone. The area under the curve (AUC) for SRSR was significantly larger than either SOD or RDW‐SD alone, and the AUC for SRSR was also larger than NLR and PLR. And it was found that SRSR was independently correlated with SLE disease activity through multiple linear regression analysis.ConclusionSRSR is a useful biomarker for the diagnosis of SLE, and it is of great significance in the clinical application.
Combination treatment of rituximab and donor platelets infusion to reduce donor‐specific anti‐HLA antibodies for stem cells engraftment in haploidentical transplantation
Authors: Zhang Rongli , He Yi , Yang Donglin , Jiang Erlie , Ma Qiaoling , Pang Aiming , Zhai Weihua , Wei Jialin , Feng Sizhou , Han Mingzhe 
Published: February 2020

AbstractBackgroundDonor‐specific anti‐human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies (DSAs) in recipients is a risk factor for donor stem cell graft failure in haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo‐HSCT), and the treatment to reduce the levels of DSAs is not unanimous. This study was to analysis the role of DSAs for stem cell engraftment and to discuss the effective treatment to reduce DSAs in haplo‐HSCT.MethodsWe retrospectively evaluated the levels of DSAs and the effect of the combination treatment of rituximab and donor platelets (PLTs) for donor stem cell engraftment in haplo‐HSCT patients from June 2016 to March 2018 at our center.ResultsNine patients (11.5%) out of the total 78 patients were DSAs‐positive and multivariate analysis revealed DSAs was the only factor that affected engraftment. Seven out of the 9 DSAs (+) patients received therapy: Four had antibodies against donor HLA class I (HLA‐I) antigens and were administered two therapeutic amounts of donor apheresis platelets (platelet count approximately 3‐5 × 1011) before donor stem cell infusion and the other three patients received a combination therapy of donor apheresis platelets and rituximab due to the antibodies against both donor HLA‐I antigens and HLA class II (HLA‐II) antigens. All the seven patients achieved donor stem cell engraftment successfully, and the DSAs levels decreased rapidly after transplantation.ConclusionsDSAs is an important factor affecting engraftment in haplo‐HSCT. Donor platelet transfusion is one simple and effective treatment for HLA‐I DSAs, and a combination therapy should be administered if patients have both HLA‐I and HLA‐II antibodies.
Analysis of clinical characteristics of 2243 with positive anti‐gastric parietal cell antibody
Authors: Guo Yaping , Hao Yingxia , Li Xiaoyan , Liu Xin , Liang Ying , Song Wenjie , Guo Shuqin 
Published: February 2020

AbstractBackgroundTo facilitate the early detection of chronic diseases, we analyzed the clinical characteristics of anti‐gastric parietal cell antibody (PCA)‐positive population, revealed the early characteristics of the population.MethodsAccording to the retrospective analysis, current situation investigation and comparative analysis of the clinical characteristics and medical history of the subjects, the comparison between the groups was performed.Result(a) The positive rate of PCA detection in department of gastroenterology in our hospital was 35.80%. Among the individuals who underwent PCA, esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) and pathological examination at the same time, 33.59% of the patients with PCA positive were diagnosed as atrophic gastritis by gastroscopy, which was much higher than 9.09% of the patients with PCA negative. (b) The incidence of gastroesophageal reflux, hypertension, ischemic heart disease (IHD) and cerebral ischemia in PCA‐positive population were 65.45%, 81.63%, 15.43%, and 31.61%, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in the control group. (c) The incidence rates of decreased red blood cells (RBC) and increased homocysteine (HCY) in laboratory‐related tests were 38.30% and 69.15%, respectively, which were much higher than those in control group.ConclusionPCA has predictive value for a variety of chronic diseases and timely detection is of great significance.
Modeling of the xylitol production from sugarcane bagasse by immobilized cells
Authors: Dorantes‐Landa Dalia N , Cocotle‐Ronzón Yolanda , Morales‐Cabrera Miguel A , Hernández‐Martínez Eliseo 
Published: February 2020

AbstractBACKGROUNDXylitol is a polyalcohol widely used in the pharmaceutical, medicine and food industry because of its anti‐cariogenic properties and low caloric value, with a sweetness equal to sucrose. Xylitol can be produced chemically or through a biotechnological route, though the last alternative still does not reach the yields to satisfy the industrial needs. The biotechnological route is an important alternative for the valorization of agroindustrial waste rich in hemicellulosic sugars, such as cane sugar bagasse, rice straw, banana peel, among others. To reduce the experimental costs, mathematical modeling is useful for determining the fermentation operation conditions and to improve the overall process.RESULTSA dynamic mathematical model for the description of xylitol production from sugarcane bagasse by Candida guilliermondii cells entrapped was developed. For the description of the microbial growth rate, free and immobilized microorganisms situations were considered in the kinetic model, including mass transfer effects. Experimental data reported in the literature were used to validate the proposed model. Additionally, a parametric estimation by the Levenberg–Marquardt method and a parametric sensitivity analysis was also performed.CONCLUSIONThe best experimental fit was obtained when the effects of inhibition by substrates are included in the kinetic model reaching a global determination index R2 > 0.95. Furthermore, this proposed model allowed us to evaluate the restraints that are generated due to the internal and external mass transfer processes of the immobilized medium. The parametric sensitivity analysis demonstrated the optimal operation conditions where the xylitol production can be favored. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry
HIV incidence and factors associated with testing positive for HIV among men who have sex with men and transgender women in Myanmar: data from community‐based HIV testing services
Authors: Veronese Vanessa , Traeger Michael , Oo Zaw M , Tun Thet T , Oo Nwe N , Maung Htay , Hughes Chad , Pedrana Alisa , Stoové Mark 
Published: February 2020

AbstractIntroductionIn Myanmar, men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TW) are disproportionately affected by HIV, despite national HIV program scale‐up. However, limited HIV surveillance capacity prevents monitoring of epidemic trends and program impact. This study aimed to estimate HIV prevalence and incidence and explore associated sexual risk behaviours among MSM and TW clients attending HIV testing clinics in Myanmar.MethodsAn electronic data management system was implemented in two community‐based, MSM and TW ‐tailored HIV testing clinics in Myanmar in August 2016. Unique client identifiers enabled prospective monitoring of service engagement, testing frequency and outcomes. We estimated HIV incidence and rate of HIV diagnosis at baseline testing visit among clients over a 15 month period. Correlates of HIV diagnoses were identified using multivariable logistic regression.Results2794 MSM and TW were tested for HIV. At their baseline test, 38% of clients reported any previous testing and 93% reported being sexually active over the previous three months, with 74% reporting sex with casual male partners and 28% reporting consistent condom use with casual partners. 291 clients tested positive for HIV for the first time at baseline (10.4%; 95% CI: 9.3 to 11.6). Twelve incident cases were detected among 279 clients receiving ≥2 tests (incidence = 10.1 per 100 person‐years; 95% CI: 5.73 to 17.8). HIV diagnosis at baseline was significantly associated with being a transgender woman or a non‐openly disclosing man who has sex with men, age 26 to 39 years, and reporting no testing history.ConclusionsHigh HIV incidence and new diagnoses being associated with reporting no testing history points to undiagnosed HIV driving transmissions in Myanmar. Repeat testing was uncommon. HIV programs in Myanmar must focus on promoting frequent HIV testing alongside adequate coverage of education and primary prevention interventions among MSM and TW.
Tyrosine hydroxylase deficiency—Clinical insights and a novel deletion in TH gene in an Indian patient
Authors: Bijarnia‐Mahay Sunita , Jain Vivek , Thöny Beat 
Published: February 2020

AbstractTyrosine hydroxylase deficiency is a rare autosomal recessive, treatable disorder of neurotransmission. Fewer than 100 cases have been reported so far. We present a case of a 10‐month‐old infant who was symptomatic since 5 months of age and who received an initial diagnosis of infantile tremor syndrome. She presented with rest tremor, decreased facial expression, global hypokinesia, and later on with oculogyric crisis and dystonia. This diagnosis was revised after confirmation of tyrosine hydroxylase deficiency by CSF neurotransmitter analysis. Genetic studies revealed one previously reported missense variant, p.Thr399Met, and another large deletion starting upstream of exon 1 and encompassing exon 1. She was started on treatment with escalating doses of L‐Dopa/Carbidopa, with folinic acid supplementation. At 3.5 years of age, her cognitive functioning and development is appropriate for age. There is complete subsidence of dystonia and oculogyric episodes. She has occasional chorieform movements which appear to be drug related.
MRI of Bladder Cancer: Local and Nodal Staging
Authors: Caglic Iztok , Panebianco Valeria , Vargas Hebert A. , Bura Vlad , Woo Sungmin , Pecoraro Martina , Cipollari Stefano , Sala Evis , Barrett Tristan 
Published: February 2020

Accurate staging of bladder cancer (BC) is critical, with local tumor staging directly influencing management decisions and affecting prognosis. However, clinical staging based on clinical examination, including cystoscopy and transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT), often understages patients compared to final pathology at radical cystectomy and lymph node (LN) dissection, mainly due to underestimation of the depth of local invasion and the presence of LN metastasis. MRI has now become established as the modality of choice for the local staging of BC and can be additionally utilized for the assessment of regional LN involvement and tumor spread to the pelvic bones and upper urinary tract (UUT). The recent development of the Vesical Imaging‐Reporting and Data System (VI‐RADS) recommendations has led to further improvements in bladder MRI, enabling standardization of image acquisition and reporting. Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) incorporating morphological and functional imaging has been proven to further improve the accuracy of primary and recurrent tumor detection and local staging, and has shown promise in predicting tumor aggressiveness and monitoring response to therapy. These sequences can also be utilized to perform radiomics, which has shown encouraging initial results in predicting BC grade and local stage. In this article, the current state of evidence supporting MRI in local, regional, and distant staging in patients with BC is reviewed.Level of Evidence3Technical Efficacy Stage2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2020;52:649–667.
Preoperative MRI‐Based Radiomic Machine‐Learning Nomogram May Accurately Distinguish Between Benign and Malignant Soft‐Tissue Lesions: A Two‐Center Study
Authors: Wang Hexiang , Zhang Jian , Bao Shan , Liu Jingwei , Hou Feng , Huang Yonghua , Chen Haisong , Duan Shaofeng , Hao Dapeng , Liu Jihua 
Published: February 2020

BackgroundPreoperative differentiation between malignant and benign soft‐tissue masses is important for treatment decisions.Purpose/HypothesisTo construct/validate a radiomics‐based machine method for differentiation between malignant and benign soft‐tissue masses.Study TypeRetrospective.PopulationIn all, 206 cases.Field Strength/SequenceThe T1 sequence was acquired with the following range of parameters: relaxation time / echo time (TR/TE), 352–550/2.75–19 msec. The T2 sequence was acquired with the following parameters: TR/TE, 700–6370/40–120 msec. The data were divided into a 3.0T training cohort, a 1.5T MR validation cohort, and a 3.0T external validationcohort.AssessmentTwelve machine‐learning methods were trained to establish classification models to predict the likelihood of malignancy of each lesion. The data of 206 cases were separated into a training set (n = 69) and two validation sets (n = 64, 73, respectively).Statistical Tests1) Demographic characteristics: a one‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test was performed for continuous variables as appropriate. The χ2 test or Fisher's exact test was performed for comparing categorical variables as appropriate. 2) The performance of four feature selection methods (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator [LASSO], Boruta, Recursive feature elimination [RFE, and minimum redundancy maximum relevance [mRMR]) and three classifiers (support vector machine [SVM], generalized linear models [GLM], and random forest [RF]) were compared for selecting the likelihood of malignancy of each lesion. The performance of the radiomics model was assessed using area under the receiver‐operating characteristic curve (AUC) and accuracy (ACC) values.ResultsThe LASSO feature method + RF classifier achieved the highest AUC of 0.86 and 0.82 in the two validation cohorts. The nomogram achieved AUCs of 0.96 and 0.88, respectively, in the two validation sets, which was higher than that of the radiomic algorithm in the two validation sets and clinical model of the validation 1 set (0.92, 0.88 respectively). The accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the radiomics nomogram were 90.5%, 100%, and 80.6%, respectively, for validation set 1; and 80.8%, 75.8%, and 85.0% for validation set 2.Data ConclusionA machine‐learning nomogram based on radiomics was accurate for distinguishing between malignant and benign soft‐tissue masses.Evidence Level3Technical EfficacyStage 2 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2020;52:873–882.
Hydrological consequences of natural rubber plantations in Southeast Asia
Authors: Chiarelli Davide D. , Passera Corrado , Rulli Maria Cristina , Rosa Lorenzo , Ciraolo Giuseppe , D'Odorico Paolo 
Published: February 2020

AbstractSince the turn of the century, rubber plantations have been expanding their footprint across Southeast Asia in response to an increasing global demand for rubber products. Between 2000 and 2014, the area cultivated with rubber more than doubled. It is not clear how this major change in the agricultural landscape of Southeast Asia, the main area of rubber production in the world, is affecting land‐use patterns and water resources in the region. Here we use maps of rubber plantations and other croplands in conjunction with a hydrological model and remote sensing analyses to assess land‐use patterns and water resources affected by natural rubber plantations. Results show water requirements of rubber trees are comparable to those of forests but by far exceed those of the other predominant crops and shrubland vegetation with the effect of potentially increasing water scarcity when rubber plantations replace these crops. The expansion of rubber plantations accounts for a 38 km3/yr increase in green water consumption, thereby exacerbating the monthly water scarcity, with an additional 2.4 million people and more than 0.6 Mha facing water scarcity in the driest months as a result of the increase in rubber production. Monthly runoff substantially decreases (by up to 25%) in 14% of the basins where rubber was planted. These results highlight the existence of major land use and hydrological impacts of agricultural development in Southeast Asia that affect the local environment and rural communities, calling for a more sustainable management of the limited land and water resources.
Increasing periods after seeding under twice‐annually harvested alfalfa reduces soil carbon and nitrogen stocks in a semiarid environment
Authors: Wang Wei , Cheng Zheng‐Guo , Li Meng‐Ying , Wang Bao‐Zhong , Li Ji‐Yuan , Wang Wei , Su Yong‐Zhong , Batool Asfa , Xiong You‐Cai 
Published: February 2020

AbstractIt is unclear how multi‐year planting of alfalfa affects soil carbon and nitrogen stocks. We investigated alfalfa fields which had been seeded at the start of the first year and then harvested twice a year for 2, 5,8, 10 and 20 years (wheat field, CK) in the semiarid Loess Plateau. In general, soil water storage tended to drop from the second to eighth year and then tended to increase in the tenth and twentieth years, displaying a V‐shaped curve. Compared with CK, soil organic carbon (SOC) under alfalfa was significantly improved at the second year. It started to decrease to the lowest level at the eighth year, and then recovered to increasing at the tenth and twentieth years. Interestingly, soil C/N ratio, microbial biomass carbon, easily oxidizable organic carbon, and high fraction organic carbon followed a similar trend as SOC did, falling to lows in the eighth year, that is, 8.28 and 18.1 mg kg−1and 1.91 and 10.2 g kg−1,respectively. Notably, light fraction organic carbon and particulate organic carbon increased up to their highest values in the eighth year (1.78 and 2.81 g kg−1). Moreover, soil NH4+‐N, NO3−‐N, and microbial biomass nitrogen fell, following a similar dynamic as SOC. It can be argued that soil C and N sequestration be were weakened in successive planting years due to enhanced mineralization rates of C and N pools. The possible mechanism causing such phenomenon is also discussed. Multi‐year planting of alfalfa reduced the soil C and N stocks; therefore, alfalfa fields should be replanted in successive years only for an optimum number of years of planting.
Longterm Survival After Liver Transplantation for Autoimmune Hepatitis: Results From the European Liver Transplant Registry
Authors: Heinemann Melina , Adam Rene , Berenguer Marina , Mirza Darius , Malek‐Hosseini Seyed Ali , O’Grady John G. , Lodge Peter , Pratschke Johann , Boudjema Karim , Paul Andreas , Zieniewicz Krzysztof , Fronek Jiri , Weiss Karl Heinz , Karam Vincent , Duvoux Christophe , Lohse Ansgar , Schramm Christoph ,   all the other contributing centers (www.eltr.org) and the European Liver and Intestine Transplant Association (ELITA)
Published: February 2020

The aim of this study was to analyze longterm patient and graft survival after liver transplantation for autoimmune hepatitis (AIH‐LT) from the prospective multicenter European Liver Transplant Registry. Patient and liver graft survival between 1998 and 2017 were analyzed. Patients after AIH‐LT (n = 2515) were compared with patients receiving LT for primary biliary cholangitis (PBC‐LT; n = 3733), primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC‐LT; n = 5155), and alcohol‐related cirrhosis (AC‐LT; n = 19,567). After AIH‐LT, patient survival was 79.4%, 70.8%, and 60.3% and graft survival was 73.2%, 63.4%, and 50.9% after 5, 10, and 15 years of follow‐up. Overall patient survival was similar to patients after AC‐LT (P = 0.44), but worse than after PBC‐LT (hazard ratio [HR], 1.48; P < 0.001) and PSC‐LT (HR, 1.19; P = 0.002). AIH‐LT patients were at increased risk for death (HR, 1.37‐1.84; P < 0.001) and graft loss (HR, 1.35‐1.80; P < 0.001) from infections compared with all other groups and had a particularly increased risk for lethal fungal infections (HR, 3.38‐4.20; P ≤ 0.004). Excluding patients who died within 90 days after LT, risk of death after AIH‐LT was superior compared with AC‐LT (HR, 0.84; P = 0.004), worse compared with PBC‐LT (HR, 1.38; P < 0.001) and similar compared with PSC‐LT (P = 0.93). Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) patients with living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) showed reduced survival compared with patients receiving donation after brain death (HR, 1.96; P < 0.001). In AIH‐LT patients, overall survival is inferior to PBC‐LT and PSC‐LT. The high risk of death after AIH‐LT is caused mainly by early fatal infections, including fungal infections. Patients with LDLT for AIH show reduced survival.