bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Glycemic indices predict outcomes after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: a retrospective single center comparative analysis
Authors: McIntyre Matthew K. , Halabi Mohamed , Li Boyi , Long Andrew , Van Hoof Alexander , Afridi Adil , Gandhi Chirag , Schmidt Meic , Cole Chad , Santarelli Justin , Al-Mufti Fawaz , Bowers Christian A. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractAlthough hyperglycemia is associated with worse outcomes after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH), there is no consensus on the optimal glucose control metric, acceptable in-hospital glucose ranges, or suitable insulin regimens in this population. In this single-center retrospective cohort study of aSAH patients, admission glucose, and hospital glucose mean (MHG), minimum (MinG), maximum (MaxG), and variability were compared. Primary endpoints (mortality, complications, and vasospasm) were assessed using multivariate logistic regressions. Of the 217 patients included, complications occurred in 83 (38.2%), 124 (57.1%) had vasospasm, and 41 (18.9%) died. MHG was independently associated with (p < 0.001) mortality, MaxG (p = 0.017) with complications, and lower MinG (p = 0.015) with vasospasm. Patients with MHG ≥ 140 mg/dL had 10 × increased odds of death [odds ratio (OR) = 10.3; 95% CI 4.6–21.5; p < 0.0001] while those with MinG ≤ 90 mg/dL had nearly 2× increased odds of vasospasm (OR = 1.8; 95% CI 1.01–3.21; p = 0.0422). While inpatient insulin was associated with increased complications and provided no mortality benefit, among those with MHG ≥ 140 mg/dL insulin therapy resulted in lower mortality (OR = 0.3; 95% CI 0.1–0.9; p = 0.0358), but no increased complication risk. While elevated MHG and MaxG are highly associated with poorer outcomes after aSAH, lower MinG is associated with increased vasospasm risk. Future trials should consider initiating insulin therapy based on MHG rather than other hyperglycemia measures.
Feasibility of reduced-dose posttransplant cyclophosphamide and cotransplantation of peripheral blood stem cells and umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells for SAA
Authors: Zu Yingling , Zhou Jian , Fu Yuewen , Fang Baijun , Liu Xinjian , Zhang Yanli , Yu Fengkuan , Zuo Wenli , Zhou Hu , Gui Ruirui , Li Zhen , Liu Yanyan , Zhao Huifang , Zhang Chengjuan , Song Yongping 
Published: January 2021

AbstractPosttransplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis is an effective strategie for patients receiving matched sibling donor hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (MSD-HSCT) and haploidentical HSCT (haplo-HSCT). We evaluated the effectiveness and safety of reduced-dose cyclophosphamide, 20 mg/kg for 13 patients in MSD-HSCT cohort and 25 mg/kg for 22 patients in haplo-HSCT cohort, on days + 3, + 4 combined with cotransplantation of peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) and human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) for severe aplastic anemia (SAA). In MSD-PTCy cohort, the times to neutrophil and platelet engraftment were significantly shorter than those in the MSD-control cohort (P < 0.05). The cumulative incidence of acute GVHD (aGVHD) at day + 100 (15.4%) was lower than that in the MSD-control cohort (P = 0.050). No patient developed chronic GVHD (cGVHD). The 1-year overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) rates were 100% and 92.3%. In haplo-PTCy cohort, the times to neutrophil and platelet engraftment were significantly shorter than those in the haplo-control cohort (P < 0.05). The cumulative incidences of aGVHD at day + 100 and 1-year cGVHD were 31.8% and 18.2%, and the 1-year OS and EFS rates were 81.8% and 66.9%. Reduced-dose PTCy and cotransplantation of PBSCs and UC-MSCs is an acceptable alternative to patients with SAA.
Neuromyelitis optica is an HLA associated disease different from Multiple Sclerosis: a systematic review with meta-analysis
Authors: Alvarenga Marcos Papais , do Carmo Luciana Ferreira , Vasconcelos Claudia Cristina Ferreira , Alvarenga Marina Papais , Alvarenga-Filho Helcio , de Melo Bento Cleonice Alves , Paiva Carmen Lucia Antão , Leyva-Fernández Laura , Fernández Óscar , Papais-Alvarenga Regina Maria 
Published: January 2021

AbstractNeuromyelitis Optica and Multiple Sclerosis are idiopathic inflammatory demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system that currently are considered distinct autoimmune diseases, so differences in genetic susceptibility would be expected. This study aimed to investigate the HLA association with Neuromyelitis Optica by a systematic review with meta-analysis. The STROBE instrument guided research paper assessments. Thirteen papers published between 2009 and 2020 were eligible. 568 Neuromyelitis Optica patients, 41.4% Asians, 32.4% Latin Americans and 26.2% Europeans were analyzed. Only alleles of the DRB1 locus were genotyped in all studies. Neuromyelitis Optica patients have 2.46 more chances of having the DRB1*03 allelic group than controls. Ethnicity can influence genetic susceptibility. The main HLA association with Neuromyelitis Optica was the DRB1*03:01 allele in Western populations and with the DPB1*05:01 allele in Asia. Differences in the Multiple Sclerosis and Neuromyelitis Optica genetic susceptibility was confirmed in Afro descendants. The DRB1*03 allelic group associated with Neuromyelitis Optica has also been described in other systemic autoimmune diseases.
Impacts of sleep on the characteristics of dental biofilm
Authors: Sotozono Maki , Kuriki Nanako , Asahi Yoko , Noiri Yuichiro , Hayashi Mikako , Motooka Daisuke , Nakamura Shota , Machi Hiroyuki , Iida Tetsuya , Ebisu Shigeyuki 
Published: January 2021

AbstractDental biofilm present on the tooth surface is associated with oral diseases, such as dental caries and periodontal disease. Because bacterial numbers rapidly increase in saliva during sleep, oral care before sleeping is recommended for the prevention of chronic oral diseases. However, temporal circadian changes in the quantity and quality of dental biofilms are poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the impacts of sleeping on dental biofilm amounts and compositions by using an in situ model. The use of this in situ model enabled us to investigate dental biofilm formed in the oral cavity and to perform a quantitative analysis. Subjects began wearing oral splints in the morning or before sleeping, and biofilm samples were collected at 8, 16, and 24 h after the subjects began wearing oral splints; these samples were then used in various experiments. No significant changes in the numbers of biofilm-forming bacteria were caused by sleep. However, the relative abundances of genera related to periodontitis (i.e., Fusobacterium and Prevotella) increased after awakening. In conclusion, the numbers of biofilm-forming bacteria were not affected by sleep, and the abundances of obligate anaerobes increased after sleep. This research may aid in defining efficacious preventive oral care.
Elucidating the network features and evolutionary attributes of intra- and interspecific protein–protein interactions between human and pathogenic bacteria
Authors: Acharya Debarun , Dutta Tapan K. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractHost–pathogen interaction is one of the most powerful determinants involved in coevolutionary processes covering a broad range of biological phenomena at molecular, cellular, organismal and/or population level. The present study explored host–pathogen interaction from the perspective of human–bacteria protein–protein interaction based on large-scale interspecific and intraspecific interactome data for human and three pathogenic bacterial species, Bacillus anthracis, Francisella tularensis and Yersinia pestis. The network features revealed a preferential enrichment of intraspecific hubs and bottlenecks for both human and bacterial pathogens in the interspecific human–bacteria interaction. Analyses unveiled that these bacterial pathogens interact mostly with human party-hubs that may enable them to affect desired functional modules, leading to pathogenesis. Structural features of pathogen-interacting human proteins indicated an abundance of protein domains, providing opportunities for interspecific domain-domain interactions. Moreover, these interactions do not always occur with high-affinity, as we observed that bacteria-interacting human proteins are rich in protein-disorder content, which correlates positively with the number of interacting pathogen proteins, facilitating low-affinity interspecific interactions. Furthermore, functional analyses of pathogen-interacting human proteins revealed an enrichment in regulation of processes like metabolism, immune system, cellular localization and transport apart from divulging functional competence to bind enzyme/protein, nucleic acids and cell adhesion molecules, necessary for host-microbial cross-talk.
Evaluating the course of the saphenous vein and nerve for risk assessment in the suture button technique
Authors: Hamada Tomo , Matsubara Hidenori , Hikichi Toshifumi , Tsuchiya Hiroyuki 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThe suture button technique can cause damage to the saphenous vein and nerve. We examined the location and course of the great saphenous vein using magnetic resonance imaging and determined its position at 10, 20, 30, or 40 mm proximal to the tibial plafond. We divided the region from the anterior to the posteromedial tibial edges into segments A, B, C, D, and E, and compared baseline data and vein parameters between 56 healthy (group H) and 296 symptomatic limbs (group D). At 10, 20, 30, and 40 mm proximal to the tibial plafond, segments A (53.4%), B (45.7%), C (50.0%), and D (52.6%), respectively, had the highest probability of the presence of the great saphenous vein. The mean angle of the great saphenous vein from the distal anterior to the proximal posterior side of the tibia in relation to the tibial axis was 32.4° ± 4.8°. There were no significant differences between groups H and D. These findings indicate that the position of the saphenous vein and nerve should be determined prior to performing the suture button technique on the medial side of the tibia. This can be achieved under direct visualization through a small skin incision or via ultrasound.
Exploring gene knockout strategies to identify potential drug targets using genome-scale metabolic models
Authors: Paul Abhijit , Anand Rajat , Karmakar Sonali Porey , Rawat Surender , Bairagi Nandadulal , Chatterjee Samrat 
Published: January 2021

AbstractResearch on new cancer drugs is performed either through gene knockout studies or phenotypic screening of drugs in cancer cell-lines. Both of these approaches are costly and time-consuming. Computational framework, e.g., genome-scale metabolic models (GSMMs), could be a good alternative to find potential drug targets. The present study aims to investigate the applicability of gene knockout strategies to be used as the finding of drug targets using GSMMs. We performed single-gene knockout studies on existing GSMMs of the NCI-60 cell-lines obtained from 9 tissue types. The metabolic genes responsible for the growth of cancerous cells were identified and then ranked based on their cellular growth reduction. The possible growth reduction mechanisms, which matches with the gene knockout results, were described. Gene ranking was used to identify potential drug targets, which reduce the growth rate of cancer cells but not of the normal cells. The gene ranking results were also compared with existing shRNA screening data. The rank-correlation results for most of the cell-lines were not satisfactory for a single-gene knockout, but it played a significant role in deciding the activity of drug against cell proliferation, whereas multiple gene knockout analysis gave better correlation results. We validated our theoretical results experimentally and showed that the drugs mitotane and myxothiazol can inhibit the growth of at least four cell-lines of NCI-60 database.
Identification of miR-320 family members as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in myelodysplastic syndromes
Authors: Wan Chengyao , Wen Jing , Liang Xiaolin , Xie Qiongni , Wu Wenqi , Wu Meiqing , Liu Zhenfang 
Published: January 2021

AbstractMyelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis and the abnormal differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells. An increasing number of researches have demonstrated that microRNAs play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of myelodysplastic syndromes. Herein, we aimed to identify novel potential microRNAs bound up with the diagnosis and prognosis of MDS. MiRNA microarray analysis was used to screen deregulated microRNAs in the bone marrow of MDS patients. qRT-PCR was employed to confirm the microarray results. All members of miR-320 family (miR-320a, miR-320b, miR-320c, miR-320d, and miR-320e) were significantly increased in MDS patients compared to normal control. Although we found no correlation between miR-320 family and most clinical characteristics, high miR-320c and miR-320d expression seemed to be associated with high numbers of bone marrow (BM) blasts and worse karyotype. High expression of all the members of the miR-320 family seemed to be associated with a high prognostic score based on International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS). The areas under the miR-320 family member ROC curves were 0.9037 (P < 0.0001), 0.7515 (P = 0.0002), 0.9647 (P < 0.0001), 0.8064 (P < 0.0001) and 0.9019 (P < 0.0001). Regarding Kaplan–Meier analysis, high miR-320c and miR-320d expression were related to shorter overall survival (OS). Moreover, multivariate analysis revealed the independent prognostic value of miR-320d for OS in MDS. The expression of miR-320 family members was up-regulated in MDS, and miR-320 family members could serve as candidate diagnostic biomarkers for MDS. High expression of miR-320d was an independent prognostic factor for OS in MDS.
Investigating the influence of physiologically relevant hydrostatic pressure on CHO cell batch culture
Authors: Shang Menglin , Kwon Taehong , Hamel Jean-Francois P. , Lim Chwee Teck , Khoo Bee Luan , Han Jongyoon 
Published: January 2021

AbstractChinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells have been the most commonly used mammalian host for large-scale commercial production of therapeutic proteins, such as monoclonal antibodies. Enhancement of productivity of these CHO cells is one of the top priorities in the biopharmaceutical industry to reduce manufacturing cost. Although there are many different methods (e.g. temperature, pH, feed) to improve protein production in CHO cells, the role of physiologically relevant hydrostatic pressure in CHO cell culture has not been reported yet. In this study, four different hydrostatic pressures (0, 30, 60, and 90 mmHg) were applied to batch CHO cells, and their cell growth/metabolism and IgG1 production were examined. Our results indicate that hydrostatic pressure can increase the maximum cell concentration by up to 50%. Moreover, overall IgG1 concentration on Day 5 showed that 30 mmHg pressure can increase IgG1 production by 26%. The percentage of non-disulphide-linked antibody aggregates had no significant change under pressure. Besides, no significant difference was observed between 30 mmHg and no pressure conditions in terms of cell clumping formation. All these findings are important for the optimization of fed-batch or perfusion culture for directing cell growth and improving antibody production.
Measurement of emotional states of zebrafish through integrated analysis of motion and respiration using bioelectric signals
Authors: Soh Zu , Matsuno Motoki , Yoshida Masayuki , Furui Akira , Tsuji Toshio 
Published: January 2021

AbstractFear, anxiety, and preference in fish are generally evaluated by video-based behavioural analyses. We previously proposed a system that can measure bioelectrical signals, called ventilatory signals, using a 126-electrode array placed at the bottom of an aquarium and achieved cameraless real-time analysis of motion and ventilation. In this paper, we propose a method to evaluate the emotional state of fish by combining the motion and ventilatory indices obtained with the proposed system. In the experiments, fear/anxiety and appetitive behaviour were induced using alarm pheromone and ethanol, respectively. We also found that the emotional state of the zebrafish can be expressed on the principal component (PC) space extracted from the defined indices. The three emotional states were discriminated using a model-based machine learning method by feeding the PCs. Based on discrimination performed every 5 s, the F-score between the three emotional states were as follows: 0.84 for the normal state, 0.76 for the fear/anxiety state, and 0.59 for the appetitive behaviour. These results indicate the effectiveness of combining physiological and motional indices to discriminate the emotional states of zebrafish.
Synthesis of SiC/SiO2 core–shell nanowires with good optical properties on Ni/SiO2/Si substrate via ferrocene pyrolysis at low temperature
Authors: Chen Bo-Yu , Chi Chong-Chi , Hsu Wen-Kuang , Ouyang Hao 
Published: January 2021

AbstractIn this study, the high-density SiC/SiO2 core–shell nanowires were synthesized on the nickel coated SiO2 (100 nm)/Si substrate by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method with ferrocene precursor at temperature 1000 °C compared to previous studies (1300–1600 °C). The present work provides an efficient strategy for the production of SiC/SiO2 nanowires with uniform morphology and good optical properties, where the Ni layer plays important roles for this fabrication at low temperature which reduces the decomposition temperature of hydrocarbon gases and improves the growth quality of SiC nanowires. The as-synthesized SiC/SiO2 nanowires consist of single crystal 3C structures as well as 3C structures with defects along [111] direction. In the photoluminescence (PL) spectrum, the SiC/SiO2 core–shell nanowires revealed an obvious blueshift. The blueshift is due to the formation of nanoscale silicon carbide polytypism caused by the stacking faults in 3C–SiC and the nanoscale polytypism also caused the transition from indirect to direct bandgap which explains why the stacking faults percentage in SiC confirmed from X-ray diffraction (XRD) is 19%, but ultimately makes the strongest emission intensity. Finally, the PL characteristics are further improved by changing the diameter of the SiC nanowire and etching and an approximate model followed by the vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) mechanism was proposed to explain the possible growth mechanism of the SiC/SiO2 nanowires.
Understanding the antiviral effects of RNAi-based therapy in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B infection
Authors: Kadelka Sarah , Dahari Harel , Ciupe Stanca M. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractThe RNA interference (RNAi) drug ARC-520 was shown to be effective in reducing serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA, hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in HBeAg-positive patients treated with a single dose of ARC-520 and daily nucleosidic analogue (entecavir). To provide insights into HBV dynamics under ARC-520 treatment and its efficacy in blocking HBV DNA, HBsAg, and HBeAg production we developed a multi-compartmental pharmacokinetic–pharamacodynamic model and calibrated it with frequent measured HBV kinetic data. We showed that the time-dependent single dose ARC-520 efficacies in blocking HBsAg and HBeAg are more than 96% effective around day 1, and slowly wane to 50% in 1–4 months. The combined single dose ARC-520 and entecavir effect on HBV DNA was constant over time, with efficacy of more than 99.8%. The observed continuous HBV DNA decline is entecavir mediated, the strong but transient HBsAg and HBeAg decays are ARC-520 mediated. The modeling framework may help assess ongoing RNAi drug development for hepatitis B virus infection.
Technical feasibility of radiomics signature analyses for improving detection of occult tonsillar cancer
Authors: Lee Jeong Hoon , Ha Eun Ju , Roh Jin , Lee Su Jin , Jang Jeon Yeob 
Published: January 2021

AbstractDiagnosis of occult palatine tonsil squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) using conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is difficult in patients with cervical nodal metastasis from an unknown primary site at presentation. We aimed to establish a radiomics approach based on MRI features extracted from the volume of interest in these patients. An Elastic Net model was developed to differentiate between normal palatine tonsils and occult palatine tonsil SCC. The diagnostic performances of the model with radiomics features extracted from T1-weighted image (WI), T2WI, contrast-enhanced T1WI, and an apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) map had area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve values of 0.831, 0.840, 0.781, and 0.807, respectively, for differential diagnosis. The model with features from the ADC alone showed the highest sensitivity of 90.0%, while the model with features from T1WI + T2WI + contrast-enhanced T1WI showed the highest AUROC of 0.853. The added sensitivity of the radiomics feature analysis were 34.6% over that of conventional MRI to detect occult palatine tonsil SCC. Therefore, we concluded that adding radiomics feature analysis to MRI may improve the detection sensitivity for occult palatine tonsil SCC in patients with a cervical nodal metastasis from cancer of an unknown primary site.
Respiration characteristics and its responses to hydrothermal seasonal changes in reconstructed soils
Authors: Lei Na , Li Juan , Chen Tianqing 
Published: January 2021

AbstractSeasonal changes in respiration and the components of four reconstructed soils (gravel + meteorite + lou; gravel + shale + lou; gravel + sand + lou; and gravel + soft rock + lou) in barren gravel land were monitored using the soil carbon flux measurement system. The results showed that (1) the monthly average respiration rate and the rates of the components in the four reconstructed soils were the highest in summer and lowest in winter. In winter, the monthly average respiration rates of the four reconstructed soils were not different (p > 0.05). In summer, the monthly average respiration rate of the sand or meteorite reconstructed soil was different from that of the other three (p < 0.05). (2) The heterotrophic and autotrophic respiration rates were different between the four reconstructed soils (p < 0.05). The contribution of heterotrophic respiration to total respiration in the four reconstructed soils was greater than that of autotrophic respiration throughout the year. In winter, autotrophic respiration accounts for the smallest proportion of total respiration. As the temperature rises, the proportion of autotrophic respiration to total respiration gradually increases and peaks in summer. In summer, the proportion of heterotrophic respiration in the total respiration is the smallest. With the decrease in temperature, the proportion of heterotrophic respiration in total respiration gradually increases and peaks in winter. (3) The maximum and minimum values of the monthly average respiration rate of the four reconstructed soils coincided with the months of maximum and minimum soil temperature. The soil volumetric water content changed with the amount of precipitation. The correlation between soil respiration and temperature was greater than that between soil respiration and volumetric water content. (4) The correlation in seasonal variation between respiration of the four remodelled soils and hydrothermal factors in the study area can be characterised by an exponential function and power-exponential function.