bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Data and Digital Solutions to Support Surveillance Strategies in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Kostkova Patty , Saigí-Rubió Francesc , Eguia Hans , Borbolla Damian , Verschuuren Marieke , Hamilton Clayton , Azzopardi-Muscat Natasha , Novillo-Ortiz David 
Published: August 2021

Background: In order to prevent spread and improve control of infectious diseases, public health experts need to closely monitor human and animal populations. Infectious disease surveillance is an established, routine data collection process essential for early warning, rapid response, and disease control. The quantity of data potentially useful for early warning and surveillance has increased exponentially due to social media and other big data streams. Digital epidemiology is a novel discipline that includes harvesting, analysing, and interpreting data that were not initially collected for healthcare needs to enhance traditional surveillance. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of digital epidemiology complementing traditional public health approaches has been highlighted.Objective: The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview for the application of data and digital solutions to support surveillance strategies and draw implications for surveillance in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.Methods: A search was conducted in PubMed databases. Articles published between January 2005 and May 2020 on the use of digital solutions to support surveillance strategies in pandemic settings and health emergencies were evaluated.Results: In this paper, we provide a comprehensive overview of digital epidemiology, available data sources, and components of 21st-century digital surveillance, early warning and response, outbreak management and control, and digital interventions.Conclusions: Our main purpose was to highlight the plausible use of new surveillance strategies, with implications for the COVID-19 pandemic strategies and then to identify opportunities and challenges for the successful development and implementation of digital solutions during non-emergency times of routine surveillance, with readiness for early-warning and response for future pandemics. The enhancement of traditional surveillance systems with novel digital surveillance methods opens a direction for the most effective framework for preparedness and response to future pandemics.
Switching From Daily DPP-4 Inhibitor to Once-Weekly GLP-1 Receptor Activator Dulaglutide Significantly Ameliorates Glycemic Control in Subjects With Poorly Controlled Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Retrospective Observational Study
Authors: Sanada Junpei , Kimura Tomohiko , Shimoda Masashi , Tomita Akiko , Fushimi Yoshiro , Kinoshita Tomoe , Obata Atsushi , Okauchi Seizo , Hirukawa Hidenori , Kohara Kenji , Tatsumi Fuminori , Nakanishi Shuhei , Mune Tomoatsu , Kaku Kohei , Kaneto Hideaki 
Published: August 2021

AimAt present, daily DPP-4 inhibitors are quite frequently prescribed in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Recently, it has been drawing much attention that once-weekly incretin-based injection dulaglutide was developed. In this study, we aimed to examine the possible effects of once-weekly GLP-1 receptor activator (GLP-1RA) dulaglutide on glycemic control as well as various metabolic parameters.MethodsWe made a direct comparison between the effect of daily DPP-4 inhibitor and once-weekly dulaglutide on glycemic control in “study 1 (pre–post comparison)” and set the control group using the propensity score matching method in “study 2”.ResultsIn study 1, switching from daily DPP-4 inhibitor to dulaglutide significantly ameliorated glycemic control in subjects with T2DM. Such effects were more obvious in poorly controlled subjects. After 1:1 propensity score matching, the switching group improved glycemic control compared with the non-switching group in study 2.ConclusionWe should bear in mind that switching from daily DPP-4 inhibitor to once-weekly GLP-1RA dulaglutide exerts more favorable effects on glycemic control regardless of age, body weight, and duration of diabetes in subjects with T2DM, especially when we fail to obtain good glycemic control with daily DPP-4 inhibitor.
A Novel Loss-of-Function MKRN3 Variant in a Chinese Patient With Familial Precocious Puberty: A Case Report and Functional Study
Authors: Yin Xueling , Wang Junqi , Han Tianting , Tingting Zhang , Li Yuhong , Dong Zhiya , Wang Wei , Li Chuanyin , Lu Wenli 
Published: August 2021

Background: Central precocious puberty (CPP) is one of the most common and complex problems in clinical pediatric endocrinology practice. Mutation of the MKRN3 gene can cause familial CPP.Methods and Results: Here we reported a Chinese patient bearing a novel MKRN3 mutation (c.G277A/p.Gly93Ser) and showing the CPP phenotype. Functional studies found that this mutation of MKRN3 attenuated its autoubiquitination, degradation, and inhibition on the transcriptional activity of GNRH1, KISS1, and TAC3 promoters.Conclusion: MKRN3 (Gly93Ser) is a loss-of-function mutation, which attenuates the inhibition on GnRH1-related signaling, suggesting that this mutant can lead to central precocious puberty.
Physical Simulation Based on Dynamic Transformation Under Hot Plate Rolling of a Nb-Microalloyed Steel
Authors: Ferreira João Carlos , de Sousa Machado Francisco Romario , Aranas Clodualdo , Siciliano Fulvio , Pasco Jubert , Reis Gedeon Silva , Pedrosa de Miranda Edson Jansen , Macêdo Paiva Antônio Ernandes , Rodrigues Samuel Filgueiras 
Published: August 2021

In this work, the presence of dynamically formed ferrite above the Ae3 temperature during the physical simulation of hot rolling was presented. This unusual metallurgical process is known as dynamic transformation (DT). The metastable ferrite phase undergoes a reverse transformation when the temperature is held above the Ae3 by means of a diffusion process. These phenomena affect the rolling load during high-temperature plate rolling. Therefore, a linepipe X70 steel was studied under plate rolling with two-pass roughing and seven-pass finishing strains of 0.4 and 0.2, respectively, applied at strain rate of 1 s−1 and interpasses of 10, 20, and 30 s. The samples were cooling down during deformation, which mimics the actual industrial hot rolling. It was observed that the alloy softens as the hot rolling progresses, as depicted by flow curves and mean flow stress plots, which are linked to the combined effects of dynamic transformation and recrystallization. The former initially occurs at lower strains, followed by the latter at higher strains. The critical strain to DT was affected by the number of passes and temperature of deformation. Shorter interpass time allows higher amounts of ferrite to form due to higher retained work hardening. Similarly, the closer the deformation temperature to the Ae3 permits a higher DT ferrite fraction. The information from this work can be used to predict the formation of phases immediately after hot rolling and optimize models applied to the accelerated cooling.
N-Doped Carbon Boosted the Formation of Few-Layered MoS2 for High-Performance Lithium and Sodium Storage
Authors: Li Junfeng , Zhou Xianzi , Lu Kai , Ma Chao , Li Liang , Wang Haibao , Han Xuejiao , Sun Hengchao , Sun Shinbin 
Published: August 2021

Molybdenum sulfide (MoS2) has become a potential anode of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) due to its high theoretical capacity and low cost. However, the volume expansion, poor electrical conductivity and dissolution of polysulfides in the electrolyte during the cycling process severely limited its applications. Herein, few-layered MoS2@N-doped carbon (F-MoS2@NC) was synthesized through a facile solvothermal and annealing process. It was found that the addition of N-doped carbon precursor could significantly promote the formation of few-layered MoS2 and improve the performances of lithium and sodium storage. A high reversible capacity of 482.6 mA h g−1 at a high current density of 2000 mA g−1 could be obtained for LIBs. When used as anode material for SIBs, F-MoS2@NC hybrids could maintain a reversible capacity of 171 mA h g−1 at a high current density of 1,000 mA g−1 after 600 cycles. This work should provide new insights into carbon hybrid anode materials for both LIBs and SIBs.
Nocturnal Sleep Problems Mediate the Impact on Quality of Life of Early Morning Off in Parkinson's Disease
Authors: Zhang Yu , Zhang Zi en , Shi De , Zhao Yi , Huang Lihong , Zhao Yanxin , Wang Hui , Zhao Jing , Wang Feng , Zhao Chaorong , Gao Shan , Wei Wenshi , Huang Dongya , Liu Zhen guo 
Published: August 2021

Background: Early morning off (EMO) refers to off-states in the morning in people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (PwPD). This study determined the clinical manifestations of EMO and the association with nocturnal sleep problems and quality of life (QOL) in Chinese PwPD.Methods: In this multicenter, observational, cross-sectional study, data concerning the clinical manifestations of EMO were collected from PwPD in Shanghai by questionnaire. The stepwise logistic regression was performed to analyze the potential risk factors, as well as whether EMO was an independent risk factor for functional dependency in daily life. The mediation analyses were conducted to evaluate whether nocturnal sleep problems might mediate the association between EMO and the QOL.Results: Among the 454 subjects evaluated, EMO occurred in 39.43% of PwPD across all disease stages. The prevalence of EMO increased as the Hoehn and Yahr stage increased and was observed in 35.60% of patients in stages 1–2.5 and 48.85% of patients in stages 3–5. EMO was associated with non-motor symptoms (NMSs). The predominant NMSs associated with EMO were nocturnal sleep problems (98.90%), mood/cognition impairment (93.90%), decreased attention/memory (91.60%), gastrointestinal symptoms (91.60%), and urinary urgency (90.50%). The QOL of PwPD with EMO was significantly reduced (P &lt; 0.001). Moreover, nocturnal sleep problems might partially mediate this relationship (indirect effect: β = 13.458, 95% boot CI: 6.436, 22.042).Conclusion: PwPD have EMO throughout all stages of the disease. Patients with EMO have severe motor symptoms and NMSs. EMO decreases the QOL in PwPD and this relationship is partially mediated by nocturnal sleep problems. In light of these findings, it is suggested that recognition and appropriate treatment of EMO and nocturnal sleep problems could improve the management of PwPD.
Radiomics Study for Predicting the Expression of PD-L1 and Tumor Mutation Burden in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Based on CT Images and Clinicopathological Features
Authors: Wen Qiang , Yang Zhe , Dai Honghai , Feng Alei , Li Qiang 
Published: August 2021

BackgroundThe present study compared the predictive performance of pretreatment computed tomography (CT)-based radiomics signatures and clinicopathological and CT morphological factors for ligand programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression level and tumor mutation burden (TMB) status and further explored predictive models in patients with advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).MethodsA total of 120 patients with advanced-stage NSCLC were enrolled in this retrospective study and randomly assigned to a training dataset or validation dataset. Here, 462 radiomics features were extracted from region-of-interest (ROI) segmentation based on pretreatment CT images. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and logistic regression were applied to select radiomics features and develop combined models with clinical and morphological factors for PD-L1 expression and TMB status prediction. Ten-fold cross-validation was used to evaluate the accuracy, and the predictive performance of these models was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and area under the curve (AUC) analyses.ResultsThe PD-L1-positive expression level correlated with differentiation degree (p = 0.005), tumor shape (p = 0.006), and vascular convergence (p = 0.007). Stage (p = 0.023), differentiation degree (p = 0.017), and vacuole sign (p = 0.016) were associated with TMB status. Radiomics signatures showed good performance for predicting PD-L1 and TMB with AUCs of 0.730 and 0.759, respectively. Predictive models that combined radiomics signatures with clinical and morphological factors dramatically improved the predictive efficacy for PD-L1 (AUC = 0.839) and TMB (p = 0.818). The results were verified in the validation datasets.ConclusionsQuantitative CT-based radiomics features have potential value in the classification of PD-L1 expression levels and TMB status. The combined model further improved the predictive performance and provided sufficient information for the guiding of immunotherapy in clinical practice, and it deserves further analysis.
Development of a Quantitative Diagnostic Criterion for Gastric Linitis Plastica: Findings From a Large Single-Institutional Study
Authors: Han Yang , Xuan Yi , Liu Xiaowen , Zhu Hui , Zhang Meng , Xu Dazhi , Wang Yanong , Cai Hong 
Published: August 2021

Gastric linitis plastica (GLP) is a descriptive term but lacks a quantitative definition. Several relatively quantitative criteria had been proposed, such as tumor involving a limit of one-third or two-thirds of the gastric surface. However, these criteria needed doctors to subjectively judge tumor infiltration area, which made diagnosis difficult to be objective and reproducible. This study aimed to propose a quantitative diagnostic criterion for distinguishing GLP. We performed a retrospective cohort study of 2,907 patients with Borrmann III and IV gastric cancer (GC) who underwent gastrectomy between 2011 and 2018 in our center. The Kaplan–Meier curves showed that patients with an observed tumor size more than 8 cm had obviously lower overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates than those with a size less than 8 cm(p &lt; 0.001; p &lt; 0.001). However, there was no significantly different prognosis of patients with tumor sizes between more than 8 cm and more than 10 cm (p = 0.248; p = 0.534). Moreover, patients with tumor sizes greater than 8 cm more presented with advanced stage and had extremely poor 3-year OS and DFS (31.4%; 29.3%), with a stronger propensity toward peritoneal metastasis. Therefore, we considered patients’ observed tumor size more than 8 cm as a critical value for distinguishing the prognosis of Borrmann III and IV GC. Furthermore, we proposed an observed tumor size more than 8 cm as a quantitative diagnostic criterion for GLP on the premise of satisfying the originally descriptive and pathological definition regardless of Borrmann type.
Safety and Efficacy of Laparoscopic Versus Open Gastrectomy in Patients With Advanced Gastric Cancer Following Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Liao Xu-Liang , Liang Xian-Wen , Pang Hua-Yang , Yang Kun , Chen Xin-Zu , Chen Xiao-Long , Liu Kai , Zhao Lin-Yong , Zhang Wei-Han , Hu Jian-Kun 
Published: August 2021

BackgroundGiven the expanding clinical applications of laparoscopic surgery and neoadjuvant chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer treatment, there is an emerging need to summarize the few evidences that evaluated the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic versus open gastrectomy in patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC) following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC).MethodsFrom January 1 to 2, 2021, we searched Ovid Embase, PubMed, Cochrane central register Trials (Ovid), and web of science to find relevant studies published in English, and two authors independently performed literature screening, quality assessment of the included studies, data extraction, and data analysis. This study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021228845).ResultsThe initial search retrieved 1567 articles, and 6 studies were finally included in the meta-analysis review, which comprised 2 randomized control trials and 4 observational studies involving 288 laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) and 416 open gastrectomy (OG) AGC patients treated with NAC. For intraoperative conditions, R0 resection rate, blood transfusion, intraoperative blood loss, number of lymph nodes dissected, proximal margin, and distal margin were comparable between LG group and open OG group. For postoperative short-term clinical outcomes, LG has significantly less postoperative complications (OR = 0.65, 95%CI: 0.42–1.00, p = 0.05) and shorter postoperative time to first aerofluxus (WMD = -0.57d, 95%CI: -0.89–0.25, p = 0.0004) than OG, and anastomotic leakage, pulmonary infection, pleural effusion, surgical site infection, thrombosis, intestinal obstruction, peritoneal effusion or abscess formation, postoperative time to first defecation, postoperative time to first liquid diet, and postoperative length of stay were comparable between the two groups. For postoperative survival outcomes, there were no significant differences in disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) between the two groups.ConclusionThe available evidences indicated that LG is an effective and feasible technology for the treatment of AGC patients treated with NAC, and LG patients have much less postoperative complications and faster bowel function recovery than OG patients.Systematic Review RegistrationPROSPERO database (identifier, CRD42021228845).
Case Report: Dilated Cardiomyopathy in a Newborn, a Potential Association With SARS-COV-2
Authors: Azeka Estela , Arshad Adam , Martins Cristiane , Dominguez Anna Claudia , Siqueira Adailson , Loss Andre Silveira , Jatene Marcelo , Miura Nana 
Published: August 2021

Objective: The objective of this study was to describe the clinical course of a newborn who developed dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) after COVID-19 infection.Methods: We retrospectively assessed the clinical notes of a pediatric patient with decompensated heart failure and who was previously positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).Results: A 23-day-old newborn presented with diarrhea, hypoactivity, tachypnea, and lethargy. The infant progressed to develop respiratory failure and required orotracheal intubation due to apnea. A nasopharyngeal swab tested positive for SARS-COV-2. An echocardiogram (ECHO) demonstrated severe left ventricular dysfunction. The patient was discharged after 18 days with furosemide and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. During the follow-up period, the infant had two episodes of decompensated heart failure, with evidence of DCM. Investigations for known causes of secondary DCM were negative. The infant was promptly referred for heart transplantation.Conclusion: Although rare, we have observed a case of DCM in a newborn following COVID-19 disease. DCM may be a complication following COVID-19 disease in newborns.
Agmatine Alleviates Epileptic Seizures and Hippocampal Neuronal Damage by Inhibiting Gasdermin D-Mediated Pyroptosis
Authors: Li Xueying , Lin Jiahe , Hua Yingjie , Gong Jiaoni , Ding Siqi , Du Yanru , Wang Xinshi , Zheng Rongyuan , Xu Huiqin 
Published: August 2021

Background: Epilepsy is a common neurological disease, and neuroinflammation is one of the main contributors to epileptogenesis. Pyroptosis is a type of pro-inflammatory cell death that is related to epilepsy. Agmatine, has anti-inflammatory properties and exerts neuroprotective effects against seizures. Our study investigated the effect of agmatine on the core pyroptosis protein GSDMD in the context of epilepsy.Methods: A chronic epilepsy model and BV2 microglial cellular inflammation model were established by pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced kindling or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. H&amp;E and Nissl staining were used to evaluate hippocampal neuronal damage. The expression of pyroptosis and inflammasome factors was examined by western blotting, quantitative real-time PCR, immunofluorescence and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results: Agmatine disrupted the kindling acquisition process, which decreased seizure scores and the incidence of full kindling and blocked hippocampal neuronal damage. In addition, agmatine increased BV2 microglial cell survival in vitro and alleviated seizures in vivo by suppressing the levels of PTZ-induced pyroptosis. Finally, the expression of TLR4, MYD88, phospho-IκBα, phospho-NF-κB and the NLRP3 inflammasome was significantly upregulated in LPS-induced BV2 microglial cells, while agmatine suppressed the expression of these proteins.Conclusions: Our results indicate that agmatine affects epileptogenesis and exerts neuroprotective effects by inhibiting neuroinflammation, GSDMD activation, and pyroptosis. The inhibitory effect of agmatine on pyroptosis was mediated by the suppression of the TLR4/MYD88/NF-κB/NLRP3 inflammasome pathway. Therefore, agmatine may be a potential treatment option for epilepsy.
Macleayins A From Macleaya Promotes Cell Apoptosis Through Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway and Inhibits Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion in Cervical Cancer HeLa Cells
Authors: Sai Chunmei , Qin Wei , Meng Junyu , Gao Li-Na , Huang Lufen , Zhang Zhen , Wang Huannan , Chen Haixia , Yan Chaohua 
Published: August 2021

Macleayins A (MA), a novel compound, was isolated from Macleaya cordata (Willd.) R. Br. and Macleaya microcarpa (Maxim.) Fedde. The plant species are the member of Papaveraceae family and have been used traditionally for diverse therapeutic purposes. According to the reported studies, the chemical constituents, as well as crude extracts of these plants, could attenuate the proliferation of several cancer cell lines, such as HL-60, A549, HepG2, and MCF-7. The current study aimed to investigate the anticervical cancer activity of MA and its related molecular mechanism. Isolation of MA was carried out using various column chromatographic methods, and its structure was elucidated with 1H NMR. The cytotoxicity of MA was determined against HeLa cell lines via CCK-8 assay. The cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle, migration, and invasion were measured by EdU labeling, Annexin-V APC/7-AAD double staining, PI staining, and transwell assay, respectively. The protein expression levels of c-Myc, β-catenin, cyclin D1, and MMP-7 in the cells were evaluated by western blotting. The Wnt/β-catenin signaling cascade activation was verified using the Dual-Glo® Luciferase assay. We found that MA inhibited the growth of HeLa cells at 72 h (IC50 = 26.88 µM) via inducing apoptotic process, reduced the proliferation rate by 29.89%, and decreased the cells migration and invasion as compared to the untreated group. It arrested the cell cycle at the G1 phase and its treatment inhibited the expression of related proteins c-Myc, β-catenin, cyclin D1, and MMP-7 in the Wnt/β-catenin signaling cascade. Further, the Wnt/β-catenin signaling cascade activation in MA-treated HeLa cells was attenuated in a dose-dependent manner. These findings demonstrate the anticancer effects of MA on a mechanistic level, thus providing a basis for MA to become a potential candidate drug for resistance of cervical carcinoma.