bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Biomechanical Evaluation of Subaxial Lateral Mass Prothesis: A Finite Element Analysis Study
Authors: Jian Qiang , Liu Zhenlei , Duan Wanru , Jian Fengzeng , Bo Xuefeng , Chen Zan 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background: Pathologies of a lateral masses due to trauma, tumors, and surgery, could lead to bone destruction and biomechanical changes of the cervical spine. Their treatment includes lesion resection and internal fixation. However, the resulting bone defect of a lateral mass is often neglected, resulting in difficulty in bone fusion. Therefore, we designed a subaxial lateral mass prosthesis to achieve lateral mass joint fusion by implanting the prosthesis along with granular bone.Objective: To evaluate the role of a new subaxial lateral mass prosthesis in load sharing using finite element analysis.Methods: Cervical computed tomography was performed on a healthy volunteer. Five finite element models (intact, lateral mass resection, screw-rod fixation, prosthesis implantation, and prosthesis fusion groups) were compared in terms of the range of motion (ROM), prosthesis von Mises stress, and screw-rod von Mises stress during flexion, extension, lateral bending, and rotation. Results: After lateral mass resection, the ROM of the model increased significantly. The ROM was significantly reduced after fixation with screws and rods. Screw-rod fixation combined with prosthesis implantation further reduced the ROM, especially during left and right bending. After bone fusion in the prosthesis, the ROM can also be reduced slightly. The von Mises stress of the bilateral screws and rods was significantly decreased after prosthesis implantation. The von Mises stress of the prosthesis was further decreased during the right bending after bone fusion was achieved.Conclusion: Subaxial lateral mass prosthesis can help to restore the stability of the cervical spine after lateral mass resection and can reduce the stress on the bilateral screws and rods. Reconstruction of a lateral mass is more consistent with the mechanical transmission of the three-column spine and contributes to interbody fusion of the lateral mass joint.
Nomogram Based On Clinical Characteristics and Serological Inflammation Markers To Predict Overall Survival of Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patient After Surgery
Authors: Lin Yi-Wei , Kang Wei-Piao , Huang Bin-Liang , Qiu Zi-Han , Wei Lai-Feng , Zhang Biao , Ding Tian-Yan , Luo Yun , Liu Can-Tong , Chu Ling-Yu , Guo Hai-Peng , Xu Yi-Wei , Peng Yu-Hui 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background

Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is a prevalent malignant disease that is characterized by high rates of metastasis and postoperative recurrence. The aim of this study was to establish a nomogram to predict the outcome of TSCC patients after surgery.
Methods

We retrospectively analyzed 169 TSCC patients who underwent treatments in the Cancer Hospital of Shantou University Medical College from 2008 to 2019. The Cox regression analysis was performed to determine the independent prognostic factors associated with patient’s overall survival (OS). A nomogram based on these prognostic factors was established and internally validated using a bootstrap resampling method.
Results

Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed the independent prognostic factors for OS were TNM stage, age, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio and immunoglobulin G, all of which were identified to create the nomogram. The Akaike Information Criterion and Bayesian Information Criterion of the nomogram were lower than those of TNM stage (292.222 vs. 305.480; 298.444 vs. 307.036, respectively), indicating a better goodness-of-fit of the nomogram for predicting OS. The bootstrap-corrected of concordance index (C-index) of nomogram was 0.784 (95% CI: 0.708–0.860), which was higher than that of TNM stage (0.685, 95% CI: 0.603–0.767, P = 0.017). The results of time-dependent C-index for OS also showed that the nomogram had a better discriminative ability than that of TNM stage. The calibration curves of the nomogram showed good consistency between the probabilities and observed values. The decision curve analysis also revealed the potential clinical usefulness of the nomogram. Based on the cutoff value obtained from the nomogram, the proposed high-risk group had poorer OS than low-risk group (P < 0.0001).
Conclusions

The nomogram based on clinical characteristics and serological inflammation markers might be useful for outcome prediction of TSCC patient.
Box–Behnken Design for Optimizing the Synthesis Condition and Adsorption Capability of Covalently Crosslinked Chitosan/coal Fly Ash Composite
Authors: Mohammed Ibrahim Awad , Malek Nurul Najwa Abd , Jawad Ali H. , Mastuli Mohd Sufri , Al-Othman Zeid A. 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
The growing concern regarding the environmental protection has encouraged researchers to focus their efforts on developing better and more effective possibilities of removing pollutants. In this research, a biocomposite adsorbent of covalently crosslinked chitosan-epichlorohydrin/coal fly ash (CHT-ECH/CFA) was synthesized and applied for reactive red 120 dye (RR120) removal. The CHT-ECH/CFA was characterized by BET, pH potentiometric, pHpzc, XRD, FTIR and SEM-EDX. Box–Behnken Design (BBD) was employed to assess the effects of the adsorption key parameters such as CFA loading into CTH-ECH matrix, adsorbent dose, solution pH, working temperature and contact time. The optimized CFA loading, adsorbent dose, temperature, time, and pH were observed to be 50 %, 0.07 g, 45 °C, 60 min, and pH 4 respectively. From BBD, the highest removal of RR120 removal at optimum conditions was found to be 90.2%. The results showed that adsorption performance can be modelled perfectly by both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models with maximum adsorption capacity of 237.7 mg/g at 45 °C. Moreover, the adsorption kinetics were well fitted to the pseudo-second order model. Based on the findings from the experiments conducted, the hybrid biocomposite adsorbent offers adequate potential for the treatment of anionic dye-polluted water.
MiR-612 Suppresses the Proliferation and Migration of Breast Cancer Cells and Induces their Apoptosis Through the AKT/ERK Signaling Cascade
Authors: Taefehshokr Sina , Safaei Sahar , Mahmoudpour Amin , Mikaeili Ehsan , Amini Mohammad , Hajazimian Saba , Hajiasgharzadeh Khalil , Isazadeh Alireza , Astamal Reza Vaezi , Taefehshokr Nima , Maroufi Nazila Fathi , Khaki Arash , Mohajeri Daryoush , Baradaran Behzad 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRs) as non-coding RNAs have been generating widespread interest in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Among the previously studied miRs, miR-612 has been addressed to have a tumor suppressor function in all types of the studied cancers except esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Despite this interest, the exact function of miR-612 in breast cancer (BC) remains elusive. Within the framework of these criteria, we tried to study the role of miR-612 in BC development. The human BC cell lines, MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 were transfected with miR-612. The effects of miR-612 replacement on viability, migration, invasion, cell cycle, apoptosis, and colony formation were studied in vitro. Furthermore, the protein expression of AKT and ERK were evaluated by Western blotting analysis. The results indicated that miR-612 decreased cell viability, migration, invasion, and colony formation of BC cells. Moreover, apoptosis was augmented, and thus cell cycle arrest was induced. Also, miR-612 decreased the expression and phosphorylation of proteins of the AKT/ERK signaling pathway. We suggest that miR-612-related stimulatory effects on apoptosis and its inhibitory impacts on proliferation and migration of BC cells mediates partly by suppressing the AKT/ERK signaling pathway.
Analysis of Therapeutic Targets and Prognostic Biomarkers Among semaphorins in the glioblastoma Microenvironment
Authors: Jiang Fan , Yang Yanbo , Wang Zilan , Liu Guangjie , Du Xiaohong , Wang Zhong 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most invasive and common form among brain cancers in adults. GBM is characterized for its poor survival and markedly high tumors heterogeneity with shortage of effective therapies. Semaphorins, a family of membrane-associated and secreted proteins, were originally defined as neuronal growth pyramidal proteins involved in directing repulsive axons. Semaphorins are repeatedly involved in the evolution of neural circuits, involving not only the generation and guidance of neurons, but also the recognition of target regions and cells and synapse formation. However, the differential expression and clinical prognostic value of semaphorins in GBM were not yet available clarity.
Methods
In this study, various databases including ONCOMINE (1159 samples), GEPIA (TCGA and GTEx dataset), UALCAN (samples from TCGA dataset), cBioPortal (604 samples from GDAC firehose of TCGA dataset), GeneMANIA(data from publicly available daatbases, e.g. GEO, BioGRID) and TIMER(samples from TCGA) were exploited.
Results
We found that in GBM tissues the transcriptional levels of SEMA3A/3B/3E/3F/5A/6A were markedly elevated, while those of SEMA3G/4A/4D/4F/5B were markedly reduced. GBM patients with lower levels of SEMA3F/4F transcription had a significantly better outcome. The function of semaphorins was mainly related to the regulation of cell growth and development. Besides, we found that the expression of semaphorin was significantly correlated with the infiltration of immune cells.
Conclusions
Semaphroins are differentially expressed in glioblastoma compared with normal brain tissue. They could provide diverse prognostic values, participate in various molecular pathways. In addition, the semaphorin protein family plays an important role in immune cell infiltration. Our study may supply potential target genes for the treatment of glioblastoma while providing new insights into the selection of prognostic biomarkers. Besides, our results may offer new insights into immunotherapy targeting and analysis of protein co-expression in SEMA for glioblastoma.
Prognostic Nutrition Index as Predictor for Nivolumab Monotherapy in Advanced Gastric Cancer Patients with Peritoneal Metastases.
Authors: LEE JUNGMIN , Choi Soo Ho , Baek Jin Ho , Baek Dong Won , Kim Jong Gwang , Kang Byung Woog 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Although nivolumab shows survival benefits for patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC), predictive biomarkers for nivolumab treatment in AGC remain unclear, especially in the case of peritoneal metastases. Therefore, this study investigated the clinical significance of the prognostic nutrition index (PNI), reflecting the host nutritional status and immunity, in AGC patients undergoing nivolumab monotherapy. This study retrospectively analyzed 53 AGC patients who received nivolumab between October 2017 and February 2021. Among them, 35 patients with peritoneal metastases were reviewed to investigate the relationship between the PNI and oncological outcomes. The PNI was calculated as 10 × serum albumin level (g/dl) + 0.005× total lymphocyte count (per mm3) at the first administration of nivolumab. With a median follow-up duration of 2.0 (0.3 − 13.5) months, the median overall survival (OS) was 2.0 months. The overall response and disease-control rates were 0.0% and 20.0%, respectively. Among the 35 patients, 13 patients were identified as a high-PNI group. In the univariate analysis, the high-PNI group showed a significantly longer PFS and OS than the low-PNI group. In the multivariate analysis, the high-PNI was independently associated with a longer PFS (p = 0.021) and OS (p = 0.022). The PNI can be useful for predicting PFS and OS in AGC patients with peritoneal metastases. However, further studies are required to validate these results in AGC and new strategies are needed to improve the outcome for AGC patients with peritoneal metastases.
Comparison of Carotid Atherosclerotic Plaque Characteristics between Symptomatic Patients with Transient Ischemic Attack and Stroke using Multi-Contrast Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Authors: Lu Mingming , Zhang Lichen , Yuan Fei , Peng Peng , Zhang Hongtao , Liu Shitong , He Yao , Cai Jianming , Zhao Xihai 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Purpose:This study aimed to compare the characteristics of carotid plaques between patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA) and ischemic stroke using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging.Methods：Symptomatic patients with carotid atherosclerotic plaque who had a recent ischemic stroke or TIA were recruited and underwent carotid MR imaging. The characteristics of plaque morphology and compositions including intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH), lipid-rich necrotic-core (LRNC) and calcification were compared between TIA and stroke patients. Logistic regression was performed to relate the plaque characteristics to the types of ischemic events.Results:A total of 270 patients with TIA or ischemic stroke were recruited. Stroke patients had significantly higher prevalence of diabetes (42.2% vs. 28.2%, p=0.021), greater mean wall area (35.1 ± 10.1 mm2 vs. 32.0 ± 7.7mm2, p = 0.004), mean wall thickness (1.3 ± 0.2 mm vs. 1.2 ± 0.2 mm, p=0.001), maximum normalized wall index (NWI)(63.9% ± 6.0% vs. 62.2% ± 5.9%, p=0.023)and %volume of LRNC(9.7%± 8.2% vs. 7.4% ±7.9%, p=0.025)in carotid arteries compared to those with TIA. After adjusted for clinical factors, above characteristics of carotid arteries were significantly associated with the type of ischemic events. After further adjusting for maximum NWI, the association of %volume of LRNC and stroke subtype remained statistically significant (OR, 1.41; CI, 1.01-1.96; p=0.041).Conclusions:Ischemic stroke patients had larger plaque burden and greater proportion of LRNC in symptomatic carotid plaques compared to patients with TIA. This study suggests that ischemic stroke patients had more vulnerable plaques compared to those with TIA.
Electronic topological transitions and mechanical properties of hafnium dioxide allotrope at high pressure: Evolutionary first-principles techniques
Authors: Bovornratanaraks Thipok , Ahuja Rajeev , Tsuppayakorn-aek Prutthipong 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Allotrope of HfO2 is explored by using first-principles evolutionary algorithm technique, based on density functional theory. The tetragonal structure with a space group of P4/nmm is found to be thermodynamically stable within the harmonic level. Arising particularly from the relative enthalpy, hafnium dioxide allotrope is taken into account in appraising the dynamic stability. Following this, the phonon calculations display that hafnium dioxide allotrope is dynamically stable under compressed conditions. Along with, the density of states suggests that hafnium dioxide allotrope is demonstrated that it is a semiconductor. Besides, the more significant change in the shape of density of states is observed when the pressure increased, by adopting an effect of this electronic topological transition, resulting in the energy gap is falling down monotonically. By inspecting their elastic constants and Vicker's hardness, the P4/nmm structure displayed the Vicker's hardness of 26.1GPa at a pressure of 200GPa. These findings suggest HfO2 is more likely to be attained experimentally and theoretically in the metal oxides family.
Serinc2 deficiency causes susceptibility to sepsis-associated acute lung injury
Authors: Mao Shuai , Lv Jian , Chen Meng , Guo Ningning , Fang Yu , Tong Jingjing , He Xianghu , Wu Gang , Wang Zhihua 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background

Severe sepsis and its subsequent complications cause high morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. Lung is one of the most vulnerable organs sensitive to sepsis-associated inflammatory storm, and usually develops into acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)/acute lung injury (ALI). The pathogenesis of sepsis-associated ALI is accompanied by coordinated transmembrane signal transduction and subsequent programmed cell death; however, the underlying mechanism remains largely unclear.
Results

Here we find that the expression of serine incorporator 2 (Serinc2), a protein involved in phosphatidylserine synthesis and membrane incorporation, is upregulated in cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced ALI. Furthermore, serinc2-knockout (KO) mouse line is generated by CRISPR-cas9 approach. Compared with wildtype mice, the Serinc2-KO mice exhibit exacerbated ALI-related pathologies after CLP. The expressions of pro-inflammatory factors, including IL1β, IL6, TNFα, and MCP1, are significantly enhanced by Serinc2 deficiency, concurrent with over-activation of STAT3, p38 and ERK pathways. Conversely, Serinc2 overexpression in RAW264.7 cells significantly suppresses the inflammatory responses induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Serinc2 KO aggravates CLP-induced apoptosis as evidenced by increases in TUNEL-positive staining, Bax expression, and Caspase-3 cleavage and decreases in BCL-2 expression and Akt phosphorylation, whereas these changes are suppressed by Serinc2 overexpression in LPS-treated RAW264.7 cells. Moreover, administration of AKTin, an inhibitor of Akt, abolishes the protective effects of Serinc2 overexpression against inflammation and apoptosis.
Conclusions

Our findings demonstrate a protective role of Serinc2 in the lung through activating the Akt pathway, and provide novel insight into the pathogenesis of sepsis-induced ALI.
Targeted Intervention of eIF4A1 Promotes EMT and Metastasis of Pancreatic Cancer Cells through c-MYC/miR-9 Signaling
Authors: Zhao Yuchong , Wang Yun , Chen Wei , Bai Shuya , Peng Wang , Zheng Mengli , Yilei Yang , Cheng Bin , Luan Zhou 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Background: Due to the lack of effective interference options, early metastasis remains a major cause of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) recurrence and mortality. However, the molecular mechanism of early metastasis is largely unknown. We characterize the function of eukaryotic translation initiation factors (eIFs) in Pancreatic cancer cell epithelial mesenchymal-transition (EMT) and metastasis, to investigate whether it is effective to inhibit EMT and metastasis by joint interference of eIFs and downstream c-MYC. Methods: We used the data of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genome Tissue Expression (GTEx) to analyze the expression level of eIF4A1 in PDAC tissues, and further validated in a microarray containing 53 PDAC samples. Expression regulation and pharmacological inhibition of eIF4A1/c-MYC was performed to determine their role in migration, invasion, and metastasis in pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.Results: Elevated expression of eIF4A1 was positively correlated with lymph node infiltration, tumor size, and indicated a poor prognosis. eIF4A1 decreased E-cadherin expression through c-MYC/miR-9 axis. Ablation of eIF4A1 and c-MYC decreased the EMT and metastasis capabilities of pancreatic cancer cells. Upregulation of eIF4A1 could attenuate the inhibition of EMT and metastasis induced by c-MYC downregulation. Single-use of eIF4A1 inhibitor Rocaglamide (RocA) or c-MYC inhibitor Mycro3 and joint intervention all significantly the EMT level of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro. However, the efficiency and safety of RocA single-use were not inferior to joint use in vivo. Conclusion: The results demonstrated that overexpression of eIF4A1 downregulated E-cadherin through c-MYC/miR-9 axis, which promoted EMT and metastasis of pancreatic cancer cells. Despite the potential loop between eIF4A1 and c-MYC existing, RocA single strategy was a promising therapy for the inhibition of eIF4A1 induced PDAC metastasis.
Antibiofilm Activity of Synthetic Peptides Against Candida Albicans and C. Krusei: Action Mechanisms and Clinical Application to Overcome the Resistance Towards Antifungal Drugs Running Title: Antibiofilm Activity of Synthetic Peptides
Authors: Bezerra Leandro P. , Silva Ayrles F.B. , Amaral Jackson L. , Neto Nilton A.S. , Silva Rafael G. G. , Belém Mônica O. , Andrade Claudia R. , Oliveira Jose T. A. , Freitas Cleverson D.T. , Souza Pedro F. N. 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Yeasts belonging to the Candida genus are important human pathogens. Candida biofilm is the most common resistance mechanism, which could increase in 1000 times the resistance to antifungal drugs. This study aimed to evaluate the antibiofilm activity of synthetic peptides, as well as action mechanisms and synergistic effect with Nystatin (NYS) and Itraconazole (ITR) by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fluorescence Microscopy (FM). ITR (1000 µg. mL− 1) inhibited 10% of biofilm formation of C. krusei and NYS (1000 µg. mL− 1) 40% of C. albicans. Regarding synergistic effect, peptides enhance 7-fold the action of ITR to inhibit the biofilm formation of C. krusei and C. albicans, as well as the degradation of formed biofilm of C. krusei. The action mechanism of peptides or in combination with antifungal drugs involved cell wall damage, membrane pore formation, loss of cytoplasmic content, and overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Docking analysis revealed ionic and hydrophobic interactions between peptides and both drugs, which may explain the synergistic effect. Altogether, our results suggest the high potential of synthetic peptides be employed as adjuvants enhancing the activity of antifungal drugs to overcome the resistance provided by fungal biofilm and decrease the toxicity of drugs.
Local-Scale Damming Impact on the Planktonic Bacterial and Eukaryotic Communities in the Upper Yangtze River
Authors: Li Hang , Li Zhe , Tang Qiong , Li Ran , Lu Lunhui 
Published: September 2021

Abstract
Dam construction and reservoir formation alters hydro-morphology of rivers, thereby restructuring microbial communities and biogenic element cycles in river ecosystems. The ecological responses and mechanisms of planktonic communities showed notable changes upstream and downstream of dams. Yet, less is reported about how the ecological mechanisms structuring planktonic communities at the closest area upstream and downstream of dams. In this study, we hypothesized that planktonic communities remained the connectivity or similarities but show distinctive ecological responses to changing environment at the closes area upstream and downstream of dams. Three large dams in the upper Yangtze River were chosen in the study. Field data revealed that the alpha diversity indexes slightly increased downstream of the dams. In addition, more eukaryotic ASVs solely occurred downstream of the dams, indicating that a large proportion of eukaryotes was formed downstream of the dams. Co-occurrence network analysis demonstrated that the keystone species of planktonic bacteria and eukaryotes decreased downstream of the dams, and the modularity increased. The robustness of the co-occurrence relationships among the eukaryotic communities was more strongly influenced by these dams than that among the planktonic bacteria. The variance partitioning analysis results indicated that dam-related variables and local environmental variables mainly shape the assembly of the planktonic microbial communities closest to the dams. In conclusion, dams exert a greater impact on planktonic eukaryotes than on bacteria in near-dam areas, and planktonic bacteria can better adapt to changing environments. Our study provides a better understanding of the ecological effects of river damming.