bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Novel Point-of-Care Diagnostic Method for Neonatal Encephalopathy Using Purine Nucleosides
Authors: Beamer Edward , O’Dea Mary Isabel , Garvey Aisling A. , Smith Jonathon , Menéndez-Méndez Aida , Kelly Lynne , Pavel Andreea , Quinlan Sean , Alves Mariana , Jimenez-Mateos Eva M. , Tian Faming , Dempsey Eugene , Dale Nicholas , Murray Deirdre M. , Boylan Geraldine B. , Molloy Eleanor J. , Engel Tobias 
Published: September 2021

Background: Evidence suggests that earlier diagnosis and initiation of treatment immediately after birth is critical for improved neurodevelopmental outcomes following neonatal encephalopathy (NE). Current diagnostic tests are, however, mainly restricted to clinical diagnosis with no molecular tests available. Purines including adenosine are released during brain injury such as hypoxia and are also present in biofluids. Whether blood purine changes can be used to diagnose NE has not been investigated to date.Methods: Blood purines were measured in a mouse model of neonatal hypoxia and infants with NE using a novel point-of-care diagnostic technology (SMARTChip) based on the summated electrochemical detection of adenosine and adenosine metabolites in the blood.Results: Blood purine concentrations were ∼2–3-fold elevated following hypoxia in mice [2.77 ± 0.48 μM (Control) vs. 7.57 ± 1.41 μM (post-hypoxia), p = 0.029]. Data in infants with NE had a 2–3-fold elevation when compared to healthy controls [1.63 ± 0.47 μM (Control, N = 5) vs. 4.87 ± 0.92 μM (NE, N = 21), p = 0.0155]. ROC curve analysis demonstrates a high sensitivity (81%) and specificity (80%) for our approach to identify infants with NE. Moreover, blood purine concentrations were higher in infants with NE and seizures [8.13 ± 3.23 μM (with seizures, N = 5) vs. 3.86 ± 0.56 μM (without seizures, N = 16), p = 0.044].Conclusion: Our data provides the proof-of-concept that measurement of blood purine concentrations via SMARTChip technology may offer a low-volume bedside test to support a rapid diagnosis of NE.
The Addition of Sirolimus to GVHD Prophylaxis After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Meta-Analysis of Efficacy and Safety
Authors: Chen Xiaoli , Sun Hengrui , Cassady Kaniel , Yang Shijie , Chen Ting , Wang Li , Yan Hongju , Zhang Xi , Feng Yimei 
Published: September 2021

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of sirolimus (SRL) in the prevention of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) in recipients following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).MethodsRandomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the safety and efficacy of SRL-based prophylaxis regimens in patients receiving allo-HSCT were obtained from PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane database. Following specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, studies were selected and screened by two independent reviewers who subsequently extracted the study data. The Cochrane risk bias evaluation tool was used for quality evaluation, and RevMan 5.3 software was used for statistical analysis comparing the effects of SRL-based and non–SRL-based regimens on acute GVHD, chronic GVHD, overall survival (OS), relapse rate, non-relapse mortality (NRM), thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA), and veno-occlusive disease (VOD).ResultsSeven studies were included in this meta-analysis, with a total sample size of 1,673 cases, including 778 cases of patients receiving SRL-based regimens and 895 cases in which patients received non-SRL-based regimens. Our data revealed that SRL containing prophylaxis can effectively reduce the incidence of grade II–IV acute GVHD (RR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.68∼0.82, p &lt; 0.0001). SRL-based prophylaxis was not associated with an improvement of grade III–IV acute GVHD (RR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.59∼1.03, p = 0.08), chronic GVHD (p = 0.89), OS (p = 0.98), and relapse rate (p = 0.16). Despite its immunosuppressant effects, SRL-based regimens did not increase bacterial (p = 0.68), fungal (p = 0.70), or CMV (p = 0.10) infections. However, patients receiving SRL-based regimens had increased TMA (p &lt; 0.00001) and VOD (p &lt; 0.00001).ConclusionsThis meta-analysis indicates that addition of sirolimus is an effective alternative prophylaxis strategy for II–IV aGVHD but may cause endothelial cell injury and result in secondary TMA or VOD events.
Reevaluation of Criteria and Establishment of Models for Total Thyroidectomy in Differentiated Thyroid Cancer
Authors: Wu Zhenghao , Xiao Yunxiao , Ming Jie , Xiong Yiquan , Wang Shuntao , Ruan Shengnan , Huang Tao 
Published: September 2021

IntroductionAfter the publication of the 2015 American Thyroid Association (ATA) guidelines, the indication for total thyroidectomy (TT) was reported to be underestimated before surgery, which may lead to a substantial rate of secondary completion thyroidectomy (CTx).Methods and MaterialsWe retrospectively analyzed differentiated thyroid cancer patients from Wuhan Union Hospital (WHUH). Univariate analysis was performed to evaluate all preoperative and intraoperative factors. New models were picked out by comminating and arranging all significant factors and were compared with ATA and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines in the multicenter prospective Differentiated Thyroid Cancer in China (DTCC) cohort.ResultsA total of 5,331 patients from WHUH were included. Pre- and intraoperative criteria individually identified 906 (17.0%) and 213 (4.0%) patients eligible for TT. Among all factors, age &lt;35 years old, clinical N1, and ultrasound reported local invasion had high positive predictive value to predict patients who should undergo TT. Accordingly, we established two new models that minorly revised ATA guidelines but performed much better. Model 1 replaced “nodule size &gt;4 cm” with “age &lt;35 years old” and achieved significant increase in the sensitivity (WHUH, 0.711 vs. 0.484; DTCC, 0.675 vs. 0.351). Model 2 simultaneously demands the presence of “nodule size &gt;4 cm” and “age &lt;35 years old,” which had a significant increase in the specificity (WHUH, 0.905 vs. 0.818; DTCC, 0.729 vs. 0.643).ConclusionAll high-risk factors had limited predictive ability. Our model added young age as a new criterion for total thyroidectomy to get a higher diagnostic value than the guidelines.
Calculation of Apparent Diffusion Coefficients in Prostate Cancer Using Deep Learning Algorithms: A Pilot Study
Authors: Hu Lei , Zhou Da Wei , Fu Cai Xia , Benkert Thomas , Xiao Yun Feng , Wei Li Ming , Zhao Jun Gong 
Published: September 2021

BackgroundApparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) obtained with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) are highly valuable for the detection and staging of prostate cancer and for assessing the response to treatment. However, DWI suffers from significant anatomic distortions and susceptibility artifacts, resulting in reduced accuracy and reproducibility of the ADC calculations. The current methods for improving the DWI quality are heavily dependent on software, hardware, and additional scan time. Therefore, their clinical application is limited. An accelerated ADC generation method that maintains calculation accuracy and repeatability without heavy dependence on magnetic resonance imaging scanners is of great clinical value.ObjectivesWe aimed to establish and evaluate a supervised learning framework for synthesizing ADC images using generative adversarial networks.MethodsThis prospective study included 200 patients with suspected prostate cancer (training set: 150 patients; test set #1: 50 patients) and 10 healthy volunteers (test set #2) who underwent both full field-of-view (FOV) diffusion-weighted imaging (f-DWI) and zoomed-FOV DWI (z-DWI) with b-values of 50, 1,000, and 1,500 s/mm2. ADC values based on f-DWI and z-DWI (f-ADC and z-ADC) were calculated. Herein we propose an ADC synthesis method based on generative adversarial networks that uses f-DWI with a single b-value to generate synthesized ADC (s-ADC) values using z-ADC as a reference. The image quality of the s-ADC sets was evaluated using the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), root mean squared error (RMSE), structural similarity (SSIM), and feature similarity (FSIM). The distortions of each ADC set were evaluated using the T2-weighted image reference. The calculation reproducibility of the different ADC sets was compared using the intraclass correlation coefficient. The tumor detection and classification abilities of each ADC set were evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and a Spearman correlation coefficient.ResultsThe s-ADCb1000 had a significantly lower RMSE score and higher PSNR, SSIM, and FSIM scores than the s-ADCb50 and s-ADCb1500 (all P &lt; 0.001). Both z-ADC and s-ADCb1000 had less distortion and better quantitative ADC value reproducibility for all the evaluated tissues, and they demonstrated better tumor detection and classification performance than f-ADC.ConclusionThe deep learning algorithm might be a feasible method for generating ADC maps, as an alternative to z-ADC maps, without depending on hardware systems and additional scan time requirements.
Radiomics Models for the Preoperative Prediction of Pelvic and Sacral Tumor Types: A Single-Center Retrospective Study of 795 Cases
Authors: Yin Ping , Zhi Xin , Sun Chao , Wang Sicong , Liu Xia , Chen Lei , Hong Nan 
Published: September 2021

PurposeTo assess the performance of random forest (RF)-based radiomics approaches based on 3D computed tomography (CT) and clinical features to predict the types of pelvic and sacral tumors.Materials and MethodsA total of 795 patients with pathologically confirmed pelvic and sacral tumors were analyzed, including metastatic tumors (n = 181), chordomas (n = 85), giant cell tumors (n =120), chondrosarcoma (n = 127), osteosarcoma (n = 106), neurogenic tumors (n = 95), and Ewing’s sarcoma (n = 81). After semi-automatic segmentation, 1316 hand-crafted radiomics features of each patient were extracted. Four radiomics models (RMs) and four clinical-RMs were built to identify these seven types of tumors. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and accuracy (ACC) were used to evaluate different models.ResultsIn total, 795 patients (432 males, 363 females; mean age of 42.1 ± 17.8 years) were consisted of 215 benign tumors and 580 malignant tumors. The sex, age, history of malignancy and tumor location had significant differences between benign and malignant tumors (P &lt; 0.05). For the two-class models, clinical-RM2 (AUC = 0.928, ACC = 0.877) performed better than clinical-RM1 (AUC = 0.899, ACC = 0.854). For the three-class models, the proposed clinical-RM3 achieved AUCs between 0.923 (for chordoma) and 0.964 (for sarcoma), while the AUCs of the clinical-RM4 ranged from 0.799 (for osteosarcoma) to 0.869 (for chondrosarcoma) in the validation set.ConclusionsThe RF-based clinical-radiomics models provided high discriminatory performance in predicting pelvic and sacral tumor types, which could be used for clinical decision-making.
Transarterial Chemoembolization Combined With Radiofrequency Ablation Versus Repeat Hepatectomy for Recurrent Hepatocellular Carcinoma After Curative Resection: A 10-Year Single-Center Comparative Study
Authors: Zheng Xin , Ren Yanqiao , Hu Hanqing , Qian Kun 
Published: September 2021

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in combination with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) (TACE-RFA) and repeat hepatectomy in the treatment of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after curative resection.MethodsThis retrospective study evaluated consecutive medical records of patients who received either TACE-RFA or repeat hepatectomy between January 2010 and May 2021. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and complications were compared.ResultsOf the 2672 patients who received either TACE-RFA or repeat hepatectomy, 111 eligible patients were included in our study, 63 in the TACE-RFA group and 48 in the repeat hepatectomy group. The median OS was 38 months in the TACE-RFA group and 42 months in the repeat hepatectomy group, with no statistically difference between the two groups (P=0.45). Meanwhile, there was also no statistically significant difference in PFS between the two groups (P=0.634). Although both groups achieved similar outcomes, the rate of major complications was significantly higher in the repeat hepatectomy group (P=0.003).ConclusionsPatients with recurrent HCC in the TACE-RFA group and the repeat hepatectomy group had similar OS and PFS regardless of the patient’s tumor diameter, but the TACE-RFA group was safer and more minimally invasive.
Development and Validation of a Simple-to-Use Nomogram to Predict Early Death in Metastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Zhang Zhong , Pu Juan , Zhang Haijun 
Published: September 2021

BackgroundPancreatic adenocarcinoma (PCa) is a highly aggressive malignancy with high risk of early death (survival time ≤3 months). The present study aimed to identify associated risk factors and develop a simple-to-use nomogram to predict early death in metastatic PCa patients.MethodsPatients diagnosed with metastatic PCa between 2010 and 2015 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database were collected for model construction and internal validation. An independent data set was obtained from China for external validation. Independent risk variables contributed to early death were identified by logistic regression models, which were then used to construct a nomogram. Internal and external validation was performed to evaluate the nomogram using calibration curves and the receiver operating characteristic curves.ResultsA total of 19,464 patients in the SEER cohort and 67 patients in the Chinese cohort were included. Patients from the SEER database were randomly divided into the training cohort (n = 13,040) and internal validation cohort (n = 6,424). Patients in the Chinese cohort were selected for the external validation cohort. Overall, 10,484 patients experienced early death in the SEER cohort and 35 in the Chinese cohort. A reliable nomogram was constructed on the basis of 11 significant risk factors. Internal validation and external validation of the nomogram showed high accuracy in predicting early death. Decision curve analysis demonstrated that this predictive nomogram had excellent and potential clinical applicability.ConclusionThe nomogram provided a simple-to-use tool to distinguish early death in patients with metastatic PCa, assisting clinicians in implementing individualized treatment regimens.
Racial Disparities and Sex Differences in Early- and Late-Onset Colorectal Cancer Incidence, 2001–2018
Authors: Petrick Jessica L. , Barber Lauren E. , Warren Andersen Shaneda , Florio Andrea A. , Palmer Julie R. , Rosenberg Lynn 
Published: September 2021

BackgroundColorectal cancer (CRC) incidence rates have increased in younger individuals worldwide. We examined the most recent early- and late-onset CRC rates for the US.MethodsAge-standardized incidence rates (ASIR, per 100,000) of CRC were calculated using the US Cancer Statistics Database’s high-quality population-based cancer registry data from the entire US population. Results were cross-classified by age (20-49 [early-onset] and 50-74 years [late-onset]), race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian/Pacific Islander), sex, anatomic location (proximal, distal, rectal), and histology (adenocarcinoma, neuroendocrine).ResultsDuring 2001 through 2018, early-onset CRC rates significantly increased among American Indians/Alaskan Natives, Hispanics, and Whites. Compared to Whites, early-onset CRC rates are now 21% higher in American Indians/Alaskan Natives and 6% higher in Blacks. Rates of early-onset colorectal neuroendocrine tumors have increased in Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics; early-onset colorectal neuroendocrine tumor rates are 2-times higher in Blacks compared to Whites. Late-onset colorectal adenocarcinoma rates are decreasing, while late-onset colorectal neuroendocrine tumor rates are increasing, in all racial/ethnic groups. Late-onset CRC rates remain 29% higher in Blacks and 15% higher in American Indians/Alaskan Natives compared to Whites. Overall, CRC incidence was higher in men than women, but incidence of early-onset distal colon cancer was higher in women.ConclusionsThe early-onset CRC disparity between Blacks and Whites has decreased, due to increasing rates in Whites—rates in Blacks have remained stable. However, rates of colorectal neuroendocrine tumors are increasing in Blacks. Blacks and American Indians/Alaskan Natives have the highest rates of both early- and late-onset CRC.ImpactOngoing prevention efforts must ensure access to and uptake of CRC screening for Blacks and American Indians/Alaskan Natives.
A Retrospective Cohort Study: Safety and Effectiveness of Elbasvir/Grazoprevir ± Ribavirin Compared With Ombitasvir/Paritaprevir/Ritonavir/Dasabuvir ± Ribavirin in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C Genotype 1 Infection
Authors: Hung Hsuan-Yu , Chen Chung-Yu , Liao Yi-Hsiang 
Published: September 2021

Background: The direct-acting antiviral (DAA) agents are widely used to treat hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype (GT) 1 infection, while it may cause severe liver damage. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the incidence of drug-induced liver injury (DILI), sustained virologic response at post-treatment week 12 (SVR12), and recurrence rates in HCV GT 1 infection.Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study that included patients diagnosed with HCV GT 1 infection, who had received intervention and treatment with elbasvir/grazoprevir (EBR/GZR) ± ribavirin (RBV) versus ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir (OBV/PTV/r) + dasabuvir ± RBV (as control group) for 12 or 24 weeks at a regional hospital in southern Taiwan between April 2016 and August 2018. The primary outcome of the study was to compare the incidence rate ratio (IRR) of DILI via Poisson regression, and the secondary outcome was to evaluate the effectiveness of two treatment regimens expressed as a percentage.Results: The study included 149 patients in the control group and 105 patients in the intervention group of which 99.33 and 98.1% patients, respectively, achieved SVR12. In the control group, one patient experienced relapse, whereas in the intervention group, two patients relapsed. Furthermore, in the control group, a total of nine patients developed DILI as determined during follow-up care. Of these patients, three were 55–84 years old. In the intervention group, six patients developed DILI. The IRR of DILI caused by EBR/GZR treatment was 2.84 times higher than that caused by the OBV/PTV/r treatment regimen.Conclusion: There was no significant difference between the studied DAA regimens regarding the incidence of DILI and effectiveness during the treatment. DILI occurrence during therapy did not affect the cure rate of medication. The present study results can provide reference data for drug selection among patients with HCV.Trial registration: The study was approved by DMF-CYCH (CYCH IRB No: 2018067).
Tele-pharmacy Anticoagulation Clinic During COVID-19 Pandemic: Patient Outcomes
Authors: Al Ammari Maha , AlThiab Khalefa , AlJohani Manal , Sultana Khizra , Maklhafi Nada , AlOnazi Hayel , Maringa Aswaq 
Published: September 2021

Introduction: It is well-established that clinical pharmacist-managed anticoagulation services achieve superior anticoagulation control, with a positive impact. At King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the structure of anticoagulation management is a pharmacist-managed specialty service. With the current COVID-19 situation, measures were taken to assure the continuity of patient care by establishing tele-pharmacy anticoagulation clinics.Materials and Methods: This was a prospective study with patients prescribed anticoagulation and followed up for 3 months. Since establishing the anticoagulation virtual clinic in March 2020, 270 patients were recruited in the study. The data collected included age, gender, comorbidities, indication for anticoagulation, intended duration of treatment, warfarin dose, testing of International Normalized Ratio (INR), INR target, range of INR values, time INR that was within the therapeutic range (TTR), and complications of therapy (bleeding and/or bruises). The patients were asked to complete the pharmacist satisfaction survey (PSS) after their consultation to assess patient satisfaction with the new virtual consultation system. Linguistic and cultural validation was conducted for the questionnaire.Results: A total of 270 patients were included in the study. The mean percentage of overall INR values in the range was 59.39% ± 32.84, and the mean time with the overall INR was within the therapeutic range 57.81% ± 32.08. Thirty-one percent of the sample had good anticoagulation control (time in therapeutic range &gt;70%). The median satisfaction score was 32 (IQR 28–36) with a maximum score of 40.Conclusion: This is the first study to assess the tele-pharmacy anticoagulation clinic’s efficiency and patient satisfaction in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic. This type of consultation was as effective as face-to-face consultations. The study also highlighted that though the reduction in the cost of care was not substantial, there was a significant increase in resource (clinical pharmacist) utilization as a result of this model. The adoption of tele-pharmacy resulted in time savings for the clinical pharmacists who can be utilized in many other improvement projects in adult ambulatory clinics to ensure the delivery of better quality and safe patient care.
Factors Associated With Edoxaban Concentration Among Patients With Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Lin Shin-Yi , Kuo Ching-Hua , Ho Li-Ting , Liu Yen-Bin , Huang Chih-Fen , Tang Sung-Chun , Jeng Jiann-Shing 
Published: September 2021

Background and Purpose: Edoxaban exposure varies across different ethnicities. The purpose of our study was to examine the risk factors associated with high or low edoxaban concentrations in Asian populations.Methods: Participants with atrial fibrillation who were undergoing edoxaban therapy were enrolled. Peak (1–4 h after edoxaban administration) and trough (24 ± 4 h from the last edoxaban dose) blood samples were collected to measure edoxaban concentrations using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. The edoxaban concentrations were compared to those observed in clinical trials to define a higher- or lower-than-expected range. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors associated with high or low edoxaban concentrations.Results: Eighty participants (49 men, 61.3%) were enrolled and provided 78 trough and 76 peak samples. Twenty participants (25.6%) were determined to have low trough concentrations, which was associated with higher creatinine clearance and the use of the 30 mg regimen (odds ratio [OR] and 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06 [1.01, 1.11], p = 0.01 and 5.77 [1.34, 24.75], p = 0.02, respectively). In contrast, 21 participants (27.6%) had high peak concentrations, which was associated with an off-label overdosing regimen (OR = 4.68 [1.23, 17.70], p = 0.02).Conclusion: Our study identified factors associated with increased or decreased edoxaban exposure. The measurement of edoxaban concentration may be recommended for patients with selected characteristics.