bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Prognostic value of preoperative inflammatory markers in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent curative resection
Authors: Wu Wenlong , Wang Quancheng , Han Dandan , Li Jianhui , Nie Ye , Guo Dongnan , Yang Long , Tao Kaishan , Zhang Xuan , Dou Kefeng 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background
The prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is not optimistic. Our study focused on present inflammatory markers, including the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-to-platelet ratio (GPR), aspartate aminotransferase-to-lymphocyte ratio (ALR) and fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR), and explored their optimal combination for the prognosis of HCC after resection.

Methods
A total of 347 HCC patients who underwent curative resection were enrolled. The optimal cutoff values of the inflammatory markers were calculated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, and used to divide patients into two groups whose differences were compared by Kaplan–Meier analysis. Cox univariate and multivariate analyses were used to analyze the independent prognostic inflammatory markers. The χ2 test was chosen to determine the relationship between independent prognostic inflammatory markers and clinicopathological features. We created combined scoring models and evaluated them by Cox univariate and multivariate methods. The concordance index (C-index), Akaike information criterion (AIC) and likelihood ratio were calculated to compare the models. The selected optimal inflammatory markers and their combinations were tested in different stages of HCC by Kaplan–Meier analysis.

Results
The ALR and GPR were independent prognostic factors for disease-free survival (DFS); the ALR, PLR, and GPR were independent prognostic factors for overall survival (OS). The proposed GPR and ALR-GPR-PLR score models were independent predictors for DFS and OS, respectively.

Conclusion
The preoperative GPR and ALR-GPR-PLR score models were independent predictors for DFS and OS, respectively, and performed well in stratifying patients with HCC. The higher the score in the model was, the worse the prognosis.
The prevalence and density of asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum infections among children and adults in three communities of western Kenya
Authors: Salgado Christina , Ayodo George , Macklin Michael D. , Gould Meetha P. , Nallandhighal Srinivas , Odhiambo Eliud O. , Obala Andrew , O’Meara Wendy Prudhomme , John Chandy C. , Tran Tuan M. 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background
Further reductions in malaria incidence as more countries approach malaria elimination require the identification and treatment of asymptomatic individuals who carry mosquito-infective Plasmodium gametocytes that are responsible for furthering malaria transmission. Assessing the relationship between total parasitaemia and gametocytaemia in field surveys can provide insight as to whether detection of low-density, asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum infections with sensitive molecular methods can adequately detect the majority of infected individuals who are potentially capable of onward transmission.

Methods
In a cross-sectional survey of 1354 healthy children and adults in three communities in western Kenya across a gradient of malaria transmission (Ajigo, Webuye, and Kapsisywa–Kipsamoite), asymptomatic P. falciparum infections were screened by rapid diagnostic tests, blood smear, and quantitative PCR of dried blood spots targeting the varATS gene in genomic DNA. A multiplex quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR assay targeting female and male gametocyte genes (pfs25, pfs230p), a gene with a transcriptional pattern restricted to asexual blood stages (piesp2), and human GAPDH was also developed to determine total parasite and gametocyte densities among parasitaemic individuals.

Results
The prevalence of varATS-detectable asymptomatic infections was greatest in Ajigo (42%), followed by Webuye (10%). Only two infections were detected in Kapsisywa. No infections were detected in Kipsamoite. Across all communities, children aged 11–15 years account for the greatest proportion total and sub-microscopic asymptomatic infections. In younger age groups, the majority of infections were detectable by microscopy, while 68% of asymptomatically infected adults (> 21 years old) had sub-microscopic parasitaemia. Piesp2-derived parasite densities correlated poorly with microscopy-determined parasite densities in patent infections relative to varATS-based detection. In general, both male and female gametocytaemia increased with increasing varATS-derived total parasitaemia. A substantial proportion (41.7%) of individuals with potential for onward transmission had qPCR-estimated parasite densities below the limit of microscopic detection, but above the detectable limit of varATS qPCR.

Conclusions
This assessment of parasitaemia and gametocytaemia in three communities with different transmission intensities revealed evidence of a substantial sub-patent infectious reservoir among asymptomatic carriers of P. falciparum. Experimental studies are needed to definitively determine whether the low-density infections in communities such as Ajigo and Webuye contribute significantly to malaria transmission.
Malaria prevalence and associated risk factors in Dembiya district, North-western Ethiopia
Authors: Tarekegn Mihretu , Tekie Habte , Dugassa Sisay , Wolde-Hawariat Yitbarek 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background
Ethiopia embarked on combating malaria with an aim to eliminate malaria from low transmission districts by 2030. A continuous monitoring of malaria prevalence in areas under elimination settings is important to evaluate the status of malaria transmission and the effectiveness of the currently existing malaria intervention strategies. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of malaria and associated risk factors in selected areas of Dembiya district.

Methods
A cross-sectional parasitological and retrospective survey was conducted in the two localities of Dembiya District, selected based on their long standing history of implementing malaria prevention and elimination strategies. Thin and thick blood smears collected from 735 randomly selected individuals between October and December, 2018 were microscopically examined for malaria parasites. Six years (2012–2017) retrospective malaria data was collected from the medical records of the health centres. Structured questionnaires were prepared to collect information about the socio-economic data of the population. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine a key risk factor explaining the prevalence of malaria. The data were analysed using SPSS version 20 and p ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

Results
The 6-year retrospective malaria prevalence trend indicates an overall malaria prevalence of 22.4%, out of which Plasmodium falciparum was the dominant species. From a total of 735 slides examined for the presence of malaria parasites, 3.5% (n = 26) were positive for malaria parasites, in which P. falciparum was more prevalent (n = 17; 2.3%), Plasmodium vivax (n = 5; 0.7%), and mixed infections (n = 4; 0.5%). Males were 2.6 times more likely to be infected with malaria than females (AOR = 2.6; 95% CI 1.0, 6.4), and individuals with frequent outdoor activity were 16.4 times more vulnerable than individuals with limited outdoor activities (AOR = 16.4, 95% CI 1.8, 147.9). Furthermore, awareness about malaria transmission was significantly associated with the prevalence of malaria.

Conclusions
Malaria is still a public health problem in Dembiya district irrespective of the past and existing vector control interventions. Therefore, the authorities should work on designing alternative intervention strategies targeting outdoor malaria transmission and improving community awareness about malaria transmission and control methods in the study area. For this, continuous monitoring of vectors’ susceptibility, density, and behaviour is very important in such areas.
The basic characteristics of extracellular vesicles and their potential application in bone sarcomas
Authors: Li Shenglong 
Published: September 2021

AbstractBone sarcomas are rare cancers accompanied by metastatic disease, mainly including osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma and chondrosarcoma. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane vesicles released by cells in the extracellular matrix, which carry important signal molecules, can stably and widely present in various body fluids, such as plasma, saliva and scalp fluid, spinal cord, breast milk, and urine liquid. EVs can transport almost all types of biologically active molecules (DNA, mRNA, microRNA (miRNA), proteins, metabolites, and even pharmacological compounds). In this review, we summarized the basic biological characteristics of EVs and focused on their application in bone sarcomas. EVs can be use as biomarker vehicles for diagnosis and prognosis in bone sarcomas. The role of EVs in bone sarcoma has been analyzed point-by-point. In the microenvironment of bone sarcoma, bone sarcoma cells, mesenchymal stem cells, immune cells, fibroblasts, osteoclasts, osteoblasts, and endothelial cells coexist and interact with each other. EVs play an important role in the communication between cells. Based on multiple functions in bone sarcoma, this review provides new ideas for the discovery of new therapeutic targets and new diagnostic analysis.
Underlying factors related to HIV/AIDS prevention: investigating the willingness to take pre-exposure prophylaxis among men-who-have-sex-with-men in Germany
Authors: Pazzini Michele , Ignácz Zsófia S. , Tuppat Julia 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background
This study investigates the willingness of men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) to use HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Research in the HIV/AIDS field typically relies on clinical and epidemiological studies, thereby often excluding social dimensions of the illness as well as factors explaining its prevention. The current study analyzes HIV-prevention through an interdisciplinary theoretical approach. It aims to comprehensively understand the mechanisms associated with the willingness to take PrEP among MSM in terms of psychological, social, behavioral, cultural, and demographic factors.

Methods
We analyze data from the survey “Gay Men and AIDS” conducted in Germany in 2013 prior to market approval for PrEP. Analyses were performed using the statistical software SPSS 25.0, while results were visualized using the R programming language.

Results
We find that perceived risk of infection, social norms (anticipated HIV-stigma), practices (e.g. regular condomless sex), and socio-demographic factors (young age, being single) all have a positive effect on the willingness to take PrEP, while education reveals a negative, and income no effect.

Conclusions
Results indicate that beyond well-established socio-psychological mechanisms of health behavior, social factors play a crucial role in understanding the willingness of PrEP uptake. This study enriches existing health behavior theories with sociological concepts such as social norms and social practices.
Enhanced disease progression due to persistent HPV-16/58 infections in Korean women: a systematic review and the Korea HPV cohort study
Authors: Seong Jaehyun , Ryou Sangmi , Lee JeongGyu , Yoo Myeongsu , Hur Sooyoung , Choi Byeong-Sun ,   The Korea HPV Cohort Study
Published: September 2021

AbstractBackgroundPersistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a key factor for the development and progression of cervical cancer. We sought to identify the type-specific HPV prevalence by cervical cytology and assess disease progression risk based on high-risk persistent HPV infection in South Korea.MethodsTo investigate the HPV prevalence by Pap results, we searched seven literature databases without any language or date restrictions until July 17, 2019. To estimate the risk of disease progression by HPV type, we used the Korea HPV Cohort study data. The search included the terms “HPV” and “Genotype” and “Korea.” Studies on Korean women, type-specific HPV distribution by cytological findings, and detailed methodological description of the detection assay were included. We assessed the risk of disease progression according to the high-risk HPV type related to the nonavalent vaccine and associated persistent infections in 686 HPV-positive women with atypical squamous cells of uncertain significance or low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions from the Korea HPV Cohort Study. Type-specific HPV prevalence was the proportion of women positive for a specific HPV genotype among all HPV-positive women tested for that genotype in the systematic review.ResultsWe included 23 studies in our review. HPV-16 was the most prevalent, followed by HPV-58, -53, -70, -18, and -68. In women with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, including cancer, HPV-16, -18, and -58 were the most prevalent. In the longitudinal cohort study, the adjusted hazard ratio of disease progression from atypical squamous cells of uncertain significance to high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions was significantly higher among those with persistent HPV-58 (increase in risk: 3.54–5.84) and HPV-16 (2.64–5.04) infections.ConclusionsWhile HPV-16 was the most prevalent, persistent infections of HPV-16/58 increased the risk of disease progression to high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions. Therefore, persistent infections of HPV-16 and -58 are critical risk factors for cervical disease progression in Korea. Our results suggest that equal attention should be paid to HPV-58 and -16 infections and provide important evidence to assist in planning the National Immunization Program in Korea.
Effectivity of a mHealth intervention for individuals with obesity: a study protocol for a controlled intervention study
Authors: Fritsch Julian , Feil Katharina , Weyland Susanne , Schmidt Detlef , Jekauc Darko 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background
Obesity is considered an epidemic problem with an increasing number of individuals affected. The physical and psychological complaints associated with obesity point to the importance of implementing effective interventions. Innovative mHealth applications appear to be promising in helping provide a continuous and flexible support during the intervention. Since research on mHealth interventions is still relatively sparse, the main goal of the current study is to assess the effectiveness of an mHealth obesity intervention in terms of weight reduction, health behaviours as well as health-related quality of life. In addition, the study aims to investigate various psychological explicit and implicit processes associated with physical activity behaviour.

Methods
The study includes quantitative and qualitative methods. Regarding the quantitative methods, the goal is to recruit up to 450 individuals at baseline in different obesity centres across Germany with some of these centres offering an mHealth intervention. All individuals who agree to take part in the mHealth intervention will be assigned to the intervention group, while all other individuals will be assigned to the control group. The mHealth obesity intervention consists of three stays at an obesity centre, with approximately six months between stays during which patients are supported by the digital platform CASPAR. The study includes three measurements with a baseline measurement and two follow-up measurements, one after six months and one after twelve months. To assess the effectiveness of the intervention, body weight, physical activity behaviour, eating behaviour as well as health related quality of life will be assessed. In addition, motivation, intentions, self-efficacy, enjoyment, and habit will be used to assess the psychological processes related with physical activity behaviour. A multivariate analysis of variance with repeated measurement and latent growth curve models will be used to compare the development of the variables within the two groups. In relation to the qualitative methods, interviews with individuals of the intervention group will be conducted to shed light on the applicability, acceptance, and usability of the mHealth intervention.

Discussion
This study may provide a valuable insight into the potential of mHealth obesity interventions and the psychological processes related to physical activity behaviour.
Trial registration The trial has been registered with the German Register of Clinical Studies (DRKS) on June 30, 2021 under the registration number: DRKS00024836.
Hi-C profiling of cancer spheroids identifies 3D-growth-specific chromatin interactions in breast cancer endocrine resistance
Authors: Li Jingwei , Fang Kun , Choppavarapu Lavanya , Yang Ke , Yang Yini , Wang Junbai , Cao Ruifeng , Jatoi Ismail , Jin Victor X. 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background
Organoids or spheroids have emerged as a physiologically relevant in vitro preclinical model to study patient-specific diseases. A recent study used spheroids of MCF10 cells to model breast cancer progression and identified targetable alterations more similar to those in vivo. Thus, it is practical and essential to explore and characterize the spheroids of the commonly used human breast cancer (BC) cells.

Methods
In this study, we conducted Hi-C analyses in three-dimensional (3D) spheroids of MCF10A, MCF7 and MCF7TR cells and compared TADs and looping genes with those in 2D monolayers. Furthermore, we performed in silico functional analysis on 3D-growth-specific looping genes and to compare patient outcomes with or without endocrinal therapy. Finally, we performed 3C/RT-qPCR validations in 3D spheroids and 3D-FISH confirmations in organoids of breast cancer patient tissues.

Results
We found that chromatin structures have experienced drastic changes during the 3D culture growth of BC cells although there is not much change in the quantity of chromatin domains. We also observed that the strengths of looping genes were statistically different between 2D monolayers and 3D spheroids. We further identified novel 3D growth-specific looping genes within Hippo relevant pathways, of which two genes showed potential prognostic values in measuring the outcome of the endocrine treatment. We finally confirmed a few selected genes in Hippo relevant pathways with enhanced looping in organoids of breast cancer patient tissues.

Conclusions
Hence, our work has provided significant insights into our understanding of 3D-growth-specific chromatin architecture in tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer. Our analyses suggest that the strengthened looping-mediated Hippo relevant pathways may contribute to endocrine therapy resistance in breast cancer patients.
Salvianolic acid-B improves fat graft survival by promoting proliferation and adipogenesis
Authors: Sun Jia-Ming , Ho Chia-Kang , Gao Ya , Chong Chio-Hou , Zheng Dan-Ning , Zhang Yi-Fan , Yu Li 
Published: September 2021

AbstractBackgroundOur previous study proved thatSalvia miltiorrhizacould enhance fat graft survival by promoting adipogenesis. However, the effect of salvianolic acid B (Sal-B), the most abundant and bioactive water-soluble compound inSalvia miltiorrhiza, on fat graft survival has not yet been investigated.ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate whether salvianolic acid B could improve fat graft survival and promote preadipocyte differentiation. The underlying mechanism has also been studied.MethodsIn vivo, 0.2 ml of Coleman fat was transplanted into nude mice with salvianolic acid B. The grafts were evaluated by HE and IF at 2 and 4 weeks posttransplantation and by micro-CT at 4 weeks posttransplantation. In vitro, the adipogenesis and proliferative activities of salvianolic acid B were analyzed in cultured human adipose-derived stem cells (h-ADSCs) and 3T3-L1 cells to detect the mechanism by which salvianolic acid B affects graft survival.ResultsIn vivo, the weights and volumes of the fat grafts in the Sal-B-treated groups were significantly higher than those of the fat grafts in the control group. In addition, higher fat integrity and more viable adipocytes were observed in the Sal-B-treated groups. In vitro, salvianolic acid B showed the ability to promote 3T3-L1 and h-ADSC proliferation and adipogenesis.ConclusionsOur in vitro experiments demonstrated that salvianolic acid B can promote the proliferation of adipose stem cells and enhance the differentiation of adipose stem cells. Simultaneously, in vivo experiments showed that salvianolic acid B can improve the survival rate of fat transplantation. Therefore, our research shed light on the potential therapeutic usage of salvianolic acid B in improving the survival rate of fat transplantation.
Geometric-algebra affine projection adaptive filter
Authors: Ren Yuetao , Zhi Yongfeng , Zhang Jun 
Published: September 2021

AbstractGeometric algebra (GA) is an efficient tool to deal with hypercomplex processes due to its special data structure. In this article, we introduce the affine projection algorithm (APA) in the GA domain to provide fast convergence against hypercomplex colored signals. Following the principle of minimal disturbance and the orthogonal affine subspace theory, we formulate the criterion of designing the GA-APA as a constrained optimization problem, which can be solved by the method of Lagrange Multipliers. Then, the differentiation of the cost function is calculated using geometric calculus (the extension of GA to include differentiation) to get the update formula of the GA-APA. The stability of the algorithm is analyzed based on the mean-square deviation. To avoid ill-posed problems, the regularized GA-APA is also given in the following. The simulation results show that the proposed adaptive filters, in comparison with existing methods, achieve a better convergence performance under the condition of colored input signals.
Seroprevalence of coxsackievirus A16 antibody among people of various age groups: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Li Peng , Chen Yan , Tang An , Gao Fan , Yan Jian-Bo 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background
Coxsackie virus group A type 16 (CoxA16) is the main pathogen and usually an alternative to or joins in prevalence with enterovirus 71 (EV71) causing hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD). The objective of this study was to estimate the seroprevalence of CoxA16 antibody among people of various age groups by a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods
The literature of seroprevalence of CoxA16 antibody among people has been systematically searched through databases from the date of their establishment to Jan. 2021. Estimates of seroprevalence of CoxA16 antibody by gender and age groups have been summarized by using fixed- and random- effect models. All analyses have been conducted in STATA version 12.0 software.

Results
A total of 14 publications with 9 in English and 5 in Chinese containing 9562 samples were finally included in the meta-analysis. The seroprevalence of CoxA16 antibody reported in different studies range from 24.85 to 76.92 %. Meta-analysis has revealed that the seroprevalence of CoxA16 antibody was 56.3 % (95 %CI: 47.7 %~64.9 %) in the overall population and 55.1 % (95 %CI: 44.1 %~66.1 %) in the Chinese population. Subgroup analysis by gender has revealed that the seroprevalence of CoxA16 antibody was 56.1 % (95 %CI: 45.2 %~67.1 %) in males and 60.0 % (95 %CI: 50.0 %~69.9 %) in females. Subgroup analysis by age groups has revealed that the seroprevalence of CoxA16 antibody was 49.1 % (95 %CI: 36.2 %~62.0 %) in the 0 ~ 5 age group and 63.9 % (95 %CI: 53.1 %~74.7 %) in the over 5 age group. Begg’s funnel plots have suggested that there were no publication bias in all groups. Sensitive analysis has suggested that the result of the meta-analysis was stable.

Conclusions
The seroprevalence of CoxA16 antibody was closely related to age. Children under 5 years old were the main susceptible groups for CoxA16 and also the key groups for the prevention and control of HFMD.