bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Technical Feasibility and Oncological Safety of Low and High Ligation of the Inferior Mesenteric Artery in Colorectal Cancer Surgery for Asian Populations: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Ye Weipeng , Zhu Zhipeng , Wu Xiaofang , Lin Sihao , Xu Jiuhua , Li Lulu , Huang Zhengjie 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Background: The level of ligation of the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) is controversial. There is still no consensus on whether to preserve the left colon artery (LCA). The aim of this updated meta-analysis was to compare the technical feasibility and oncological safety of low ligation (LL) and high ligation (HL) of IMA in the treatment of colorectal cancer for Asian populations.Methods: A systematic search was conducted in the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and China Biomedical Literature Database (CBM) for relevant studies that compared HL and LL for sigmoid or rectal cancer were published between January 2010 and August 2020 from Asian countries. The outcomes of interest include anastomotic leak, operation time, blood loss, early complications, the postoperative first anal exhaust time, lymph node yield outcomes and involvement state, 5-year overall survival (OS), 5-year disease-free survival (DFS), and overall recurrence.Results: Twenty-one studies including 8 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 13 retrospective cohort studies (non-RCTs) with a total of 5947 patients (2519 patients in LL group and 3428 patients in HL group) were involved in this meta-analysis. LL group showed a lower incidence of anastomotic leakage (WMD=0.59; 95%CI=0.46~0.76; P<0.05) and earlier postoperative first anal exhaust time (WMD=-4.55; 95%CI=-8.87~-0.24; P<0.05). In term of operation time, blood loss, early complications, the first postoperative anal exhaust time, lymph node yield outcomes and involvement state, 5-year OS, 5-year DFS, and overall recurrence, there were no significant differences between LL and HL group.Conclusions: Compared with HL, LL significantly reduced the incidence of anastomotic leakage and accelerated the postoperative recovery time of bowel function in Asian populations. What's more, LL can obtain equivalent lymph node yield and long-term survival benefit as compared to HL.
Epidemiology of Gastrointestinal Worm Infections in Pigs Reared in Enugu State, Nigeria&nbsp;
Authors: Bernard Sunday .N. , Njoga Emmanuel Okechukwu , Abonyi Festus Otaka , Ozioko Ikenna .E. , Ugwuoke Christian .U , Nnadi P.A 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Gastrointestinal worm infections (GWI) constrain pig production and zoonotic pig parasites make pork unsafe for human consumption. This study determined the distributions, determinants and dynamics of GWI and also the effect of the infection on production parameters in pigs reared in Enugu State, Nigeria. The GWI were determined by faecal egg counts following standard procedure. Sixty piggeries and 564 pigs were randomly selected for the study. Questionnaire survey was conducted to obtain data on some production parameters and risk practices aiding GWI in the piggeries. An overall prevalence of 88.3% (53/60) and 68.1% (384/564) at farm and individual pig levels respectively were recorded. High egg counts of single and mixed infections involving Strongyle, Ascaris and Trichuris species were found. The infection predominated in young (74.1%, 240/324) and female (72.3%, 272/376) pigs during the rainy/wet season (74.5%, 204/274). Rearing pigs of different ages together, feeding pigs with untreated abattoir/poultry waste, and unhygienic on-farm feed compounding were the major risk practices underpinning acquisition and spread of GWI. Infected piggeries had less litter weight and reduced mean weight at weaning and maturity. Pre-weaning piglet mortality was 15.5%. The seasonality and preponderance of the infection in young and female pigs are useful epidemiological findings which could be exploited for development of an effective control strategy against the parasitic infections. An overhaul of parasitic disease control measures in piggeries in Enugu State is imperative for greater productivity and profitability in swine production, and to boost availability of safe and wholesome pork for human consumption.
Using Robinson-Foulds Supertrees in Divide-and-Conquer Phylogeny Estimation
Authors: Yu Xilin , Le Thien , Christensen Sarah A. , Molloy Erin K. , Warnow Tandy 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
One of the Grand Challenges in Science is the construction of the Tree of Life , an evolutionary tree containing several million species, spanning all life on earth. However, the construction of the Tree of Life is enormously computationally challenging, as all the current most accurate methods are either heuristics for NP -hard optimization problems or Bayesian MCMC methods that sample from tree space.
One of the most promising approaches for improving scalability and accuracy for phylogeny estimation uses divide-and-conquer: a set of species is divided into overlapping subsets, trees are constructed on the subsets, and then merged together using a ``supertree method".
Here, we present Exact-RFS-2, the first polynomial-time algorithm to find an optimal supertree of two trees, using the Robinson-Foulds Supertree (RFS) criterion (a major approach in supertree estimation that is related to maximum likelihood supertrees), and we prove that finding the RFS of three input trees is NP -hard.
We also present GreedyRFS (a greedy heuristic that operates by repeatedly using Exact-RFS-2 on pairs of trees, until all the trees are merged into a single supertree).
We evaluate Exact-RFS-2 and GreedyRFS, and show that they have better accuracy than the current leading heuristic for RFS.
Exact-RFS-2 and GreedyRFS are available in open source form on Github at github.com/yuxilin51/GreedyRFS
A Method for Measuring Time Spent in Bradykinesia and Dyskinesia in People With Parkinson’s Disease Using an Ambulatory Monitor
Authors: Khodakarami Hamid , Shokouhi Navid , Horne Malcolm 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
BackgroundFluctuations in motor function in Parkinson’s Disease (PD) are frequent and cause significant disability. Frequently device assisted therapies are required to treat them. Currently, fluctuations are self-reported through diaries and history yet frequently people with PD do not accurately identify and report fluctuations. As the management of fluctuations and the outcomes of many clinical trials depend on accurately measuring fluctuations a means of objectively measuring time spent with bradykinesia or dyskinesia would be important. The aim of this study was to present a system that uses wearable sensors to measure the percentage of time that bradykinesia or dyskinesia scores are above a target as a means for assessing levels of treatment and fluctuations in PD.MethodsData in a database of 228 people with Parkinson’s Disease and 157 control subjects, who had worn the Parkinsons Kinetigraph ((PKG, Global Kinetics CorporationTM, Australia) and scores from the Unified Parkinsons Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and other clinic scales were used. The PKG’s provided score for bradykinesia and dyskinesia every two minutes and these were compared to a previously established target range representing a UPDRS III score of 35. The proportion of these scores above target over the 6days that the PKG was worn were used to derive the percent time in bradykinesia (PTB) and percent time in dyskinesia (PTD). As well, a previously describe algorithm for estimating the amplitude of the levodopa response was used to determine whether a subject was a fluctuator or non-fluctuator. ResultsUsing this approach, a normal range of PTB and PTD based on Control subject was developed. The level of PTB and PTD experienced by people with PD was compared with their levels of fluctuation. There was a correlation (Pearsons ρ=0.4) between UPDRS II scores and PTB: the correlation between Parkinson Disease Questionnaire scores and UPDRS Total scores and PTB and slightly lower. PTB and PTD fell in response to treatment for bradykinesia or dyskinesia (respectively) with greater sensitivity than clinical scales.ConclusionsThis approach provides an objective assessment of the severity of fluctuations in Parkinsons Disease that could readily easily be used in routine care and in clinical trials.
Opposition Based Joint Grey Wolf-whale Optimization Algorithm Based Attribute Based Encryption in Secure Wireless Communication
Authors: M Raja , s Dhanasekaran , v Vasudevan 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
At present times, medical image security becomes a hot research topic in the healthcare sector. This paper presents an efficient lightweight image encryption model based on the Dynamic key generating Attribute based encryption (ABE) method with Opposition based joint Grey Wolf-Whale Optimization Algorithm (OjGW-WOA). The proposed encryption method undergoes certain pre-encryption steps like rotation and random column addition steps. Once the pre-encryption steps are done, ABE with OjGW-WOA is incorporated, where the optimal key is generated based on entropy value. In addition, the oppositional based learning (OBL) concept is introduced to enhance the convergence rate and searching process of GWO and WOA algorithms. Next, the proposed encryption method is designed with a dynamic key generating model that generates updated keys during every time period. Therefore, during decryption, two-level key verification is done. At the first decryption stage, the key corresponding to that particular time period is required, then the original key is generated from that key and then employed for decrypting the original data. The proposed method is simulated using MATLAB tool and a detailed comparative results analysis is carried out. The performance of the proposed work is validated with the aid of performance metrics like Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR), number of changing pixel rate (NPCR) and unified averaged changed intensity (UACI). The experimental results stated that the presented model has resulted to a higher PSNR of 62.29dB, NPCR of 99.23%, and UACI of 23.67%.
Fluoxetine for Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (AION); a Double Blind Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Abbasi Mohammad Hossein , Rimaz Shahnaz , Pourmousa Zahra , Janani Leila , Sanjari Mostafa Soltan 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Background: Fluoxetine enhances the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF); considering its known improving effects on neurogenesis and plasticity, it seems to improve the Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (AION). This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Fluoxetine on clinical prognosis of patients with AION.Methods: In this double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial, subjects with AION who were referred to Rasool Akram Hospital were divided into two study groups; the fluoxetine group that received 20 mg Fluoxetine daily(n=50) and the control group (n=50) that received placebo for a period of six months. Patients underwent clinical and paraclinical evaluations before and after the trial. This study was a registered trial with IRCT code IRCT20181109041596N1.Results: One hundred patients were enrolled from August 2019 to December 2020 and assessed in this study. Subjects in Fluoxetine group showed significant improvement in visual acuity in comparison to the placebo group with less score in LogMAR scale (P: 0.008 and 0.002, respectively), improvement in MD parameters of perimetry (P: 0.003 and 0.002, respectively), and decrease in VEP latencies (P (in 1st minute): <0.001 and <0.001, P (in 15st minute): 0.038 and 0.011, respectively). There were no differences in color vision, Rnfl in all dimensions, PSD parameter of perimetry or VEP amplitudes following the trial of Fluoxetine therapy (Ps> 0.05).Conclusion: Fluoxetine showed promising therapeutic value for patients with AION besides its safety as an additive treatment option to corticosteroids.
Allelopathic Potential of Papaver Somniferum L. on Seed Germination Against Three Different Varities of Zea Mays
Authors: Sidra Muntaha Tul , MUBARAK SAYEDA SARAH , SHERWANI FATIMA KHAN , AZEEM NAZMA 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Aims

To evaluate the allelopathic effect of Papaver somniferum against the 3 varieties of Zea mays seeds cv. Azam, Pahari and Iqbal.
Methods

Aqueous extracts were made by soaking the powder of dried leaves of Papaver somniferum. For the aqueous extract treatment, the extract was soaked in distilled water for 24 and 48 hours separately. For mulching treatment, the seeds were sowed in soil and sprinkled powder of leaves. For litter, the petri dishes were grounded with randomly cut pieces of filter paper wetted with extract. For hot water treatment the water was boiled for 5 minutes. The powder was then mixed in boil water.
Results

Azam got effected in 24h extract in aqueous extract treatment while Pahari in 48h treatment. In mulching all the three varieties got inhibited by extract. Azam showed resistance toward the inhibitory effect of extract in litter experiments. Iqbal was affected in hot water extract.
Conclusion

It is concluded that the extracts obtained from Papaver somniferum showed inhibitory effects on all the three varieties except few exceptions of maize. The plumule and radical growth got affected the most.
The Radio-mitigative Effect of CpG-Oligodeoxynucleotides on Mice After Exposure to Carbon Ions Radiation.
Authors: Zhang Chao , Fu Hua , Zhu Xiang-hui , Li Sha , Tian Zhong-ze , Liu Hu , Hu Hao 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Background: Heavy ion radiation constitutes a major health risk for astronaut in space flight, potential damage to healthy tissues surrounding the tumor target along its penetrating path should still be considered in hydrotherapy. Therefore, there is a demand for reliable countermeasure against heavy ions radiation. In this study, we will estimate the radiomitigative effect of CpG-ODN on immune tissues after carbon ions radiation (CIR). Methods: Firstly, the 30 days’ survival of mice was observed, peripheral blood cell was counted, the injury of three principal immune tissues (including bone marrow, thymus and spleen) was evaluated by histological examination, apoptosis and double strand breaks (DSB) were detected by TUNEL staining and γ-H2AX immunohistochemistry respectively, and cytokine (G-CSF, IL-6 and TNF-α) was measured by ELISA assay. Results: the 30 days’ survival improved, the injury of three principal immune tissues were obviously ameliorated, the number of γ-H2AX foci and TUNEL-positive nuclei decreased, and G-CSF, IL-6 and TNF-α expression increased by CpG-ODN treatment after CIR. Conclusion: CpG-ODN could enhanced mice survival, and ameliorate immune tissues injury, the mechanism may be that CpG-ODN induced cytokines production and inhibited the double strand breaks (DSB) and apoptosis in order to stimulate the generation and mobilization of the immune cells and reestablish immune system to combat bacterial infections.
Residual Large Trees Influence Short-term Succession Following a Volcanic Eruption in a Valdivian Temperate Rainforest
Authors: Hintz Lisa , Fischer Dylan , Ferrari Nina , Crisafulli Charlie M.S. 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Airborne volcanic ejecta (tephra) can strongly influence forest ecosystems through initial disturbance processes and subsequent ecological response. Within a tephra-disturbed forest, large trees may promote plant growth and create favorable sites for colonization. Three primary ways trees can influence post-eruption vegetation response include: 1) amelioration of volcanic substrates, 2) as source propagules from the tree or from associated epiphytes, and 3) by sheltering understory vegetation, thereby increasing rate of recovery near tree bases. Here, we evaluate Valdivian temperate rainforest understory vegetation response and soil characteristics in close proximity to large trees that survived the 2015 eruption of Calbuco Volcano. Understory vegetative cover was higher near the base of trees for mosses, many epiphytes, and some herbaceous, shrub, and trees species. However, significant interactions with year of measurement, and individualistic responses by many species made generalizations more difficult. Small shrubs and trees in particular demonstrated patterns of recovery that were frequently independent of distance. In some cases, percent cover of colonizing vegetation actually increased far from trees by 2019. The soil surface was similarly variable where bare soil cover was associated with locations proximal to tree bases, but material shed from living and dead standing vegetation increased wood and litter abundances on the soil surface away from the base of trees. Soils near trees had lower pH, elevated organic matter, and higher nitrogen and carbon. Our results support the assertion that in this temperate rainforest ecosystem, large trees can modify edaphic conditions and provide important early refugia for vegetative regrowth following a tephra fall event. Nevertheless, complex interactions through time with species and growth form, suggest the influence of large trees on plant establishment and growth with close proximity tree boles is more complex than a simple facilitative model might suggest.
Synthesis of CA6/AlON Composites with Enhanced Slag Resistance
Authors: Liu Yunsong , Wang Enhui , Xu Linchao , Yang Tao , Hou Xinmei , He Zhijun , Liang Tongxiang 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Aiming to improve the slag resistance of calcium hexaaluminate (CA6), different amounts of AlON have been introduced into CA6 using two approaches, i.e. one-step and two-step methods. The results show that both the two phases of CA6 and AlON are uniformly distributed when sintered at 1650 °C for 2 h in flowing nitrogen using two-step method. The optimized amount of AlON addition is determined to be 10 wt%. In addition, the reaction test method is performed and CA6/AlON composite exhibits much better slag penetration and corrosion resistance compared with pure CA6. The effect of AlON is also discussed.
Establishment and Characterization of a Feline Mammary Tumor Patient-Derived Xenograft Model
Authors: Chuang Hsiao-Li , Chang Yi-Chih , Huang Yi-Ting , Liao Jiunn-Wang , Lin Yi-Lo , Chen Ter-Hsin , Wang Yu-Chih 
Published: February 2021

Abstract

BackgroundFeline mammary tumor (FMT) is a relatively commonly diagnosed neoplasm in the cat. Development of new veterinary cancer therapies is limited by the shortage of in vivo models that reproduce tumor microenvironment and metastatic progression. ResultsFour FMT-patient‐derived xenografts (PDX) successfully established in NOD.Cg-Prkdcscid IL2rgtm1Wjl/SzJ mice. The overall success rate of PDX establishment was 36% (4/11). Histological, immunohistochemical, and short tandem repeat analysis showed a remarkable similarity between patient's tumor and PDX.ConclusionsIn this study, FMT-PDX model were established. The tumor grafts conserve original tumor essential features, including distant metastasis. FMT-PDX represents an available resource for bridging the biology of FMT with preclinical studies of FMT in cats.
Shortest Unique Representative Hidden Markov Model (SurHMM) for Detecting Protein Toxins, Virulence Factors and Antibiotic Resistance Genes
Authors: Xie Gary , Fair Jeanne M 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Objective: Currently, next generation sequencing (NGS) is widely used to decode potential novel or variant pathogens both in emergent outbreaks and in routine clinical practice. However, the efficient identification of novel or diverged pathogenomic compositions remains a big challenge. It is especially true for short DNA sequence fragments from NGS, since sequence similarity searching is vulnerable to false negatives or false positives, as mismatching or matching with unrelated proteins. Therefore, this study aimed to establish a bioinformatics approach that can generate unique motif sequences for profiling searching, resulting in high specificity and sensitivity. Results: In this study, we introduced a shortest unique representative hidden Markov model (HMM) approach to identify bacterial toxin, virulence factor (VF), and antimicrobial resistance (AR) in short sequence reads. We first construct unique representative domain sequences of toxin genes, VFs, and ARs to avoid potential false positives, and then to use HMM models to accurately identify potential toxin, VF, and AR fragments. The benchmark shows this approach can achieve relatively high specificity and sensitivity if the appropriate cutoff value is applied.
Time-dependent efficacy of combination of silver-containing hydroxyapatite coating and vancomycin on methicillin-resistant&nbsp;Staphylococcus aureus&nbsp;biofilm formation in vitro
Authors: Hashimoto Akira , Miyamoto Hiroshi , Kii Sakumo , Kobatake Tomoki , Shobuike Takeo , Noda Iwao , Sonohata Motoki , Mawatari Masaaki 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Objective
We developed a silver-containing hydroxyapatite (Ag-HA) coating to prevent periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the main PJI-causing bacteria. Previously, we had reported the combined effect of Ag-HA coating and vancomycin (VCM) on MRSA biofilm formation 24 h after MRSA inoculation. In this study, we investigated the time-dependent efficacy of Ag-HA coating and VCM on MRSA biofilm formation on Ti discs in vitro by three-dimensional confocal laser scanning microscopic analysis.
Results
For the Ti VCM and HA VCM groups, the total biofilm volumes per area at 96 h after MRSA inoculation were significantly larger than those at 48 h after MRSA inoculation, respectively (p < 0.001). In contrast, for the Ag-HA VCM group, the total biofilm volume per area at 96 h was significantly smaller than that at 48 h (p < 0.0001). Moreover, 96 h after MRSA inoculation, the total biofilm volume per area of the Ag-HA VCM groups was significantly smaller than those of the Ti VCM and HA VCM groups (p < 0.0001). Thus, the combination of Ag-HA and VCM might be useful for the prevention of MRSA-associated PJI.
Maintenance of Skeletal Muscle Mass During FOLFIRINOX is a Favorable Prognostic Factor in Pancreatic Cancer Patients
Authors: Shin Dong Woo , Kim Minseok Albert , Lee Jong-chan , Kim Jaihwan , Hwang Jin-Hyeok 
Published: February 2021

Abstract
Objective: The study aimed to investigate the effect of body composition changes during chemotherapy on clinical outcomes in patients with pancreatic cancer.Results: In patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC), the cross-sectional area of skeletal muscle (SM) and adipose tissue (AT) at the level of third lumbar vertebra was measured. The SM and AT ratios indicated the changes during chemotherapy. The patients were classified into three groups based on these ratios: group 1, ≥1.00; group 2, 0.85-0.99; group 3, <0.85. The overall survival (OS) and surgical resection rates were estimated. Fifty-eight patients with LAPC who received first-line FOLFIRINOX were analysed. Fifteen (25.9%) patients who underwent resection showed maintained BMI, SM, and AT as compared to the patients who did not undergo resection. As the SM ratio decreased, the risk for death increased significantly. Further, the resection rate was significantly higher in patients with maintained SM compared to those with low SM ratio. On the contrary, the change in AT ratio was not associated with OS and resection rate; however, significant decrease in AT more than 15% showed poor clinical outcomes. Maintenance of SM during chemotherapy is a reliable prognostic factor indicating longer OS and higher resection rate.