bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of a New-generation Platelet-rich Fibrin in the Treatment of Periodontal Intrabony Defects: a Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Csifo-Nagy Boroka Klara , Solyom Eleonora , Bognar Vera Lili , Nevelits Annamaria , Dori Ferenc 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Background: The aim of the study was to clinically evaluate the healing of intrabony defects after treatment with a new generation of platelet-rich fibrin (A-PRF+) respect to enamel matrix derivatives (EMD). Methods: Thirty (30) intrabony defects of 18 patients (9 males, 9 females) were randomly treated with A-PRF+ (test, n=15) or EMD (control, n=15). The following clinical parameters were recorded at baseline and 6 months after surgery: pocket depth (PD), gingival recession (GR) and clinical attachment level (CAL). After debridement the intrabony defects were filled with A-PRF+ in the test group, respectively with EMD in the control group, and fixed with sutures to ensure wound closure and stability.Results: Both treatment methods resulted in statistically significant PD reductions, respectively CAL gains six months post-operatively. No statistically significant differences were found between the two groups as the mean CAL gain was 2.33±1.58 mm in the A-PRF+ group, respectively 2.60±1.18 mm in the EMD group (p < 0.001).Conclusion: Within the limits of this study the new-generation platelet-rich fibrin seems to be as clinically effective as EMD in the surgical treatment of intrabony defects. Treatment with A-PRF+ or EMD resulted in reliable clinical outcomes. The use of A-PRF+ as a human autologous product can give a positive impact on periodontal healing.Clinical Relevance: A-PRF+ may be suitable for the treatment of intrabony periodontal defects. Trial registration number (TRN): NCT04404374 (ClinicalTrials.gov ID)Date of registration: 19.05.2020., retrospectively registered
WP-UNet: Weight Pruning U-Net with Depth-wise Separable Convolutions for Semantic Segmentation of Kidney Tumours
Authors: Rao P Kiran , Chatterjee Subarna , Sha M Sreedhar 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Background

Accurate semantic segmentation of kidney tumours in computed tomography (CT) images is difficult because tumours feature varied forms and, occasionally, look alike. The KiTs19 challenge sets the groundwork for future advances in kidney tumour segmentation.
Methods

We present WP-UNet, a deep network model that is lightweight with a small scale; it involves few parameters with a quick assumption time and a low floating-point computational complexity.
Results

We trained and evaluated the model with CT images from 300 patients. Thefindings implied the dominance of our method on the training Dice score (0.98) for the kidney tumour region. The proposed model only uses 1,297,441 parameters and 7.2e FLOPS, three times lower than those for other network models.
Conclusions

The results confirm that the proposed architecture is smaller than that of U-Net, involves less computational complexity, and yields good accuracy, indicating its potential applicability in kidney tumour imaging.
A Refined Procedure for Esophageal Resection Using a Full Minimally Invasive Approach
Authors: Ashiku Simon , Patel Ashish R. , Horton Brandon H. , Velotta Jeffrey , Ely Sora , Avins Andrew L. 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Objective: Newer minimally invasive approaches to esophagectomy have brought substantial benefits to esophageal-cancer patients and continue to improve. We report here our experience with a streamlined procedure as part of a comprehensive perioperative-care program that provides additional advances in the continued evolution of this procedure.Methods: All patients with primary esophageal cancer referred for resection to the Oakland Medical Center of the Kaiser-Permanente Northern California health plan who underwent this approach between January 2013 and August 2018 were included. Operative and clinical outcome variables were extracted from the electronic medical record, operating-room files, and manual chart review.Results: 142 patients underwent the new procedure and care program; 121 (85.2%) were men with mean age of 64.5 years. 127 (89.4%) were adenocarcinoma; 117 (82.4%) were clinical stage III or IVA. 115 (81.0%) required no jejunostomy. Median hospital length-of-stay was 3 days and 8 (5.6%) patients required admission to the intensive care unit. Postoperative complications occurred in 22 (15.5%) patients within 30 days of the procedure. There were no inpatient deaths; one patient (0.7%) died within 30 days following discharge and three additional deaths (2.1%) occurred through 90 days of follow-up.Conclusions: This approach resulted in excellent clinical outcomes, including short hospital stays with limited need for the intensive care unit, few perioperative complications, and relatively few patients requiring feeding tubes on discharge. This comprehensive approach to esophagectomy is feasible and provides another clinically meaningful advance in the progress of minimally invasive esophagectomy. Further development and dissemination of this method is warranted.
Study on hyperspectral estimation model of soil organic carbon content in the wheat field under different water treatments
Authors: Yang Chenbo , Feng Meichen , Song Lifang , Wang Chao , Yang Wude , Xie Yongkai , Jing Binghan , Xiao Lujie , Zhang Meijun , Song Xiaoyan , Saleem Muhammad 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Hyperspectral remote sensing technology can realize the rapid, real-time, and non-destructive monitoring of soil nutrient changes, which is of great significance to promote the development of precision agriculture. In this paper, 225 soil samples were taken as the research object to study the influence of different water treatment on soil organic carbon content, and the relationship between soil organic carbon content and spectral reflectance. After spectral preprocessing, the hyperspectral monitoring models of SOC content were constructed by partial least squares regression(PLSR) with five different sample allocation ratios of calibration to validation sets. The results showed that the effects of drought stress on SOC content were different in different growth stages of winter wheat. Results of correlation analysis showed that the differential transformation can refine the spectral characteristics and improve the correlation between SOC content and spectral reflectance. Results of model construction showed that the models constructed by second-order differential transformation were not effective, but the RPD values of the models were constructed by simple mathematical transformation(T0-T5) and first-order differential transformation(T6-T11) can reach more than 1.4. The simple mathematical transformation(T0-T2, T4-T5) and the first-order differential transformation(T6-T10) resulted in the highest RPD in mode 5 and mode 2, respectively. Among all the models, the model of T7 in mode 2 reach the highest accuracy with a RPD value of 1.9861. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the data preprocessing algorithm and allocation ratio in the construction of SOC hyperspectral monitoring model.
WITHDRAWN: Oral squamous cell carcinomas developing from oral lichen planus: Do they differ in recurrence and metastatic potential?
Authors: Blatt Sebastian , Sagheb Keyvan , Rahimi-Nedjat Roman-Kia , Sagheb Kawe , Lingawi Abdullatif , Schiegnitz Eik , Walter Christian 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Background:
Due to the low proportion of squamous cell carcinomas of the oral cavity (OSCC) developing from oral lichen planus (OLP-OSCC) there is only little data regarding the frequency of lymph node metastasis and clinical characteristics such as relapse and outcome in this sub-entity. Therefore, a retrospective analysis of OLP- OSCC was performed.
Methods:
In a retrospective monocenter analysis, all consecutive patients with an OSCC treated in the time period 2000 to 2016 were composed. All patients with an OSCC developing from OLP/ OLLs were identified and analyzed for epidemiological data, risk profile, location of primary tumor, pTNM classification, lymph node metastasis, primary therapy, recurrence, and outcome.
Results:
A total of 103 patients (45%♂/ 55%♀) with an average age of 62 ± 14y were included in this study. At the time of initial diagnosis, 17% (n = 18) of patients had cervical metastases (CM) whereas only 11% (11 patients) displayed advanced tumor sizes (T > 2). T-status (p = 0.003) and histopathological grading (p = 0.001) had an impact on the incidence of CM. 39.6% of the patients developed a relapse after an average of 24 months with a mean of two recurrences per patient. Advanced tumor size had a significant impact on the 5-year overall survival and was associated with disease free survival of the patients (p < 0.001, respectively p = 0.004).
Conclusion:
Even if initial lymph node metastases were not found more frequent, more aggressive recurrence patterns compared to OSCC could be demonstrated for OLP-OSCC. Therefore, a modified recall for these patients might be necessary.
Validation of the Efficacy of the NUTRISCORE for Nutritional Screening of Cancer Patients in China
Authors: KANG Junren , LI Hailong , SHI Xiaodong , MA Enling , CHEN Wei 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Background: Malnutrition is common in cancer patients. The NUTRISCORE was a newly developed cancer-specific nutritional screening tool and validated by reference to the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) and Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST) in Spain. We aimed to evaluate the performance of NUTRISCORE, MST, and PG-SGA in estimating the risk of malnutrition in Chinese cancer patients.Methods: Data from an open parallel and multicenter cross-section study in 29 clinical teaching hospitals in 14 Chinese cities were used. Cancer patients were assessed for malnutrition using PG-SGA, NUTRISCORE, and MST. The sensitivity, specificity, and areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve were estimated for NUTRISCORE and MST using PG-SGA as a reference.Results: A total of 1000 cancer patients were included. The mean age was 55.9 (19 to 92 years), and 47.5% were male. 450 patients (45.0%) had PG-SGA B and C, 29 patients (2.9%) had a NUTRISCORE ≥ 5, and 367 patients (36.7%) had MST ≥ 2. With PG-SGA as a reference method, the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve values of the NUTRISCORE was 6.2 %, 99.8%, and 0.53, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve values of the MST were 50.9%, 74.9%, and 0.63, respectively. The kappa index between NUTRISCORE and the PG-SGA were 0.066 and 0.262 between MST and the PG-SGA (P < 0.05).Conclusions: NUTRISCORE was found a higher specificity and lower sensitivity compared with MST using PG-SGA as a reference method in cancer patients in China. Further studies are needed.
Autophagic degradation of CDK2 and CDK4 is responsible for NVP-BEZ235-induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest in neuroblastoma
Authors: Liu Zhen , Zhang Hong–Liang , Liu Shan-Ling , Zhang Chao , Yue Qing-Xi , Zhang Quan-Wu , Gao Feng-Hou 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Background

Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are regarded as promising targets for cancer therapy. CDK2 and CDK4 are the core molecules in the G0 and G1 phases of the cell cycle. Exploring the molecular mechanism of CDK2 and CDK4 protein degradation will provide clues and solutions to control the G0 and G1 phases in tumor cells.
Methods

The expression levels of CDK2 and CDK4 were assessed by Western blotting and qRT-PCR. Cell viability, cell proliferation and growth were evaluated in CCK-8 and flow cytometric analysis. Protein interactions were analysed by immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence methods.
Results

NVP-BEZ235 induced neuroblastoma cell arrest at the G0/G1 phase, and proliferation inhibition was associated with a significant reduction in the CDK2 and CDK4 proteins in a dose-dependent manner at nanomolar concentrations. Surprisingly, we found that the NVP-BEZ235-induced downregulation of CDK2 and CDK4 was dramatically rescued by autophagy-lysosome inhibitors. Additionally, the blockade of autophagy-related genes contributed to the remarkable rescue of CDK2 and CDK4, which thus strikingly improved NVP-BEZ235-induced G0/G1 arrest and growth inhibition of neuroblastoma cells. Subsequently, we observed the first evidence that NVP-BEZ235 induced the interaction of p62/SQSMT1 with CDK2 or CDK4 and the autophagic degradation of CDK2 and CDK4 in a cathepsin B-dependent manner. Analogous results regarding autophagy and the antiproliferative effects of NVP-BEZ235 were observed in a neuroblastoma xenograft mouse model in vivo.
Conclusions

These results not only established the pivotal role of the autophagy pathway in G0/G1 cell cycle-related protein turnover but also suggest the potential application of NVP-BEZ235 for cancer treatment by modulating elements of the autophagic machinery to promote degradation of G0/G1 cell cycle-related proteins.
A Phase II Study of Talimogene Laherparepvec for Patients With Inoperable Locoregional Recurrence of Breast Cancer
Authors: Kai Megumi , Marx Angela N. , Liu Diane D. , Shen Yu , Reuben James M. , Whitman Gary , Krishnamurthy Savitri , Ross Merrick I. , Litton Jennifer K. , Lim Bora , Ibrahim Nuhad , Kogawa Takahiro , Ueno Naoto T. 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Purpose: Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) is an immunotherapy that generates local tumor lysis and systemic antitumor immune response. We studied the efficacy of intratumoral administration of T-VEC as monotherapy for inoperable locoregional recurrence of breast cancer.Methods: Patients had to have cutaneous, subcutaneous, or nodal tumors injectable with T-VEC. T-VEC was injected intratumorally at 106 PFU/mL on day 1 (cycle 1), 108 PFU/mL on day 22 (cycle 2), and 108 PFU/mL every 2 weeks thereafter (cycles ≥3). Local lesions were photographed before each cycle.Results: Nine patients were enrolled, 6 with only locoregional disease and 3 with both locoregional and distant disease. No patient completed the planned 10 cycles or achieved complete or partial response. The median number of cycles administered was 4 (range, 3-8). Seven patients withdrew prematurely because of uncontrolled disease progression, 1 withdrew after cycle 3 because of fatigue, and 1 withdrew after cycle 4 for reasons unrelated to study treatment. Median progression-free survival and overall survival were 77 days (95% CI, 63-NA) and 361 days (95% CI, 240-NA). Two patients received 8 cycles with clinically stable disease as the best response. The most common grade 2 or higher adverse event was injection site reaction (n=7, 78%).Conclusion: None of the patients was able to complete the planned 10 cycles due to the disease progression. Future studies could examine whether combining intratumoral T-VEC with concurrent systemic therapy produces better outcomes.Trial registration number and date of registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02658812; registered [January 14, 2016]
Recurrent Brain Metastases: The Role of Resection of in a Comprehensive Multidisciplinary Treatment Setting
Authors: Hessler Nadine , Jünger Stephanie T , Meissner Anna-Katharina , kocher Martin , Goldbrunner Roland H , Grau Stefan Josef 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
BackgroundTo evaluate the efficacy of surgical resection for pretreated, recurrent brain metastases (BM) in a comprehensive multidisciplinary treatment setting.MethodsIn a retrospective single center study, patients were analyzed who had undergone surgical resection of recurrent BM between 2007 and 2019. Intracranial event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated by Kaplan-Maier and Cox regression analysis.ResultsIn total, 107 patients with different primary tumor entities and individual previous treatment for BM were included. Primary tumors comprised non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (37.4%), breast cancer (19.6%), melanoma (13.1%), gastro-intestinal cancer (10.3%) and other, rare entities (19.6%). The number of previous treatments of BM ranged from one to four; these comprised: resection only, focal or whole brain radiotherapy, brachytherapy and radiosurgery. BM-related symptoms were present in 73.8% of the patients. Median pre-operative Karnofsky Performance Score (KPS) was 70% (range 40-100) which was improved to 80% (range 0-100) after surgery. The complication rate was 26.2% and two patients died during the perioperative period. Postoperative local radio-oncologic and/or systemic therapy regimens were applied in 67 (62.6%) patients. Median postoperative EFS and OS were 7.1 (95%CI 5.8-8.2) and 11.1 (95%CI 8.4-13.6) months, respectively. The clinical status (postoperative KPS >70 (HR 0.27 95%CI 0.16-0.46; p<0.001) remained the only independent factor for survival in multivariate analysis. Conclusion Surgical resection of recurrent BM may improve the clinical status and thus OS but is associated with a high complication rate; therefore, careful patient selection is crucial.
CD36 Promotes Vasculogenic Mimicry in Melanoma by Mediating Adhesion to the Extracellular Matrix
Authors: Martini Carmela , DeNichilo Mark , King Danielle P. , Cockshell Michaelia P. , Ebert Brenton , Dale Brian , Ebert Lisa M. , Woods Anthony , Bonder Claudine S 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Background: The formation of blood vessels within solid tumors directly contributes to cancer growth and metastasis. Until recently, tumor vasculature was thought to occur exclusively via endothelial cell (EC) lined structures (i.e. angiogenesis), but a second source of tumor vasculature arises from the cancer cells themselves, a process known as vasculogenic mimicry (VM). While it is generally understood that the function of VM vessels is the same as that of EC-lined vessels (i.e. to supply oxygen and nutrients to the proliferating cancer cells), the molecular mechanisms underpinning VM are yet to be fully elucidated. Methods: Human VM-competent melanoma cell lines were examined for their VM potential using the in vitro angiogenesis assays (Matrigel), together with inhibition studies using small interfering RNA and blocking monoclonal antibodies. Invasion assays and adhesion assays were used to examine cancer cell function. Results: Herein we demonstrate that CD36, a cell surface glycoprotein known to promote angiogenesis by ECs, also supports VM formation by human melanoma cancer cells. In silico analysis of CD36 expression within the melanoma cohort of The Cancer Genome Atlas suggests that melanoma patients with high expression of CD36 have a poorer clinical outcome. Using in vitro ‘angiogenesis’ assays and CD36-knockdown approaches, we reveal that CD36 supports VM formation by human melanoma cells as well as adhesion to, and invasion through, a cancer derived extracellular matrix substrate. Interestingly, thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), a ligand for CD36 on ECs that inhibits angiogenesis, has no effect on VM formation. Further investigation revealed a role for laminin, but not collagen or fibronectin, as ligands for CD36 expressing melanoma cells. Conclusions: Taken together, this study suggests that CD36 is a novel regulator of VM by melanoma cancer cells that is facilitated, at least in part, via integrin-a3 and laminin. Unlike angiogenesis, VM is not perturbed by the presence of TSP-1, thus providing new information on differences between these two processes of tumor vascularization which may be exploited to combat cancer progression.
Predictor of Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence in Patients who Underwent a Tricuspid Valve Operation with Modified Cox Maze procedure
Authors: Bak Minjung , Park Sung-Ji , Jeong Dong Seop , Park Boram , Seo Jeong Hun , Park Ilkun , Kim Jihoon , Chung Su Ryeun , Kim Eun Kyoung , Sung Kiick 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
Background Recurrence of any atrial arrhythmia after surgical ablation is known as a negative predictor of cardiovascular events and total mortality. However, there have been no focused studies for atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence prediction in patients with significant tricuspid regurgitation (TR), and the risk-benefit estimation of surgical ablation in tricuspid valve (TV) surgery is not fully established. Objectives In this study, we analyzed predictors of AF recurrence, safety, and efficacy of the modified Cox maze (CM) procedure in patients with AF undergoing TV operation.Method We screened 421 patients who underwent a TV operation between 1994 and 2017. After excluding patients who did not undergo a maze operation, 158 patients were enrolled. Enrolled patients were divided by recurrence of AF.We analyzed the difference between the AF recurrence group and no AF recurrence group, and AF recurrence factors in terms of clinical risk factors and echocardiographic risk factors. The hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were presented using a Cox proportional hazard model.ResultS Among 158 patients, AF recurred in 65 patients within 10 years. For AF prediction, age was most the important clinical factor and right atrium (RA) diameter was the most important echocardiographic parameters. In patients with a larger RA diameter over 49.2mm, the prevalence of AF recurrence was higher (HR 4.322, 95% CI [2.185-8.549], log rank p value < 0.001). In clinical outcome, there was no significant difference between the AF recurrence group and the no recurrence group in terms of death, TR recurrence, heart failure and stroke. However, the risk of permanent pacemaker (PPM) insertion was higher in the AF recurrence group (HR 4.706, 95% CI [0.975-22.708], log rank p value 0.034) compared to the no recurrence group. Conclusion Age and RA enlargement are key predictors of AF recurrence after TV operation with the CM procedure in patients with significant TR.
Technology factor as society’s information stock: An elegant proof
Authors: Tao Yong 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
It has been empirically observed that the income structure of the vast majority of populations in market-economy countries follows an exponential distribution. The empirical evidence has covered more than 66 countries, ranging from Europe to Latin America, North America, and Asia. Here, to further support exponential income distribution as a signature of the well-functioning market economy, we empirically show how the income structure of China evolved towards an exponential distribution after the market-oriented economic reformation. In particular, we strictly prove that, if the income structure of an economy obeys an exponential distribution, the income summation over all households leads to a neoclassical aggregate production function, in which the technology factor is exactly equal to society’s information stock. This finding provides an insight into understanding the underlying implication of technological progress.JEL Classification: O33; D31; D83; C46
A nanofluidic device for rapid and multiplexed SARS-CoV-2 serological antibody detection
Authors: Mortelmans Thomas , Kazazis Dimitrios , Padeste Celestino , Berger Philipp , Li Xiaodan , Ekinci Yasin 
Published: May 2021

Abstract
The outbreak of COVID-19 has led to a substantial death toll and has hindered the functioning of modern society, sending the world into a medical and economic crisis1,2. This underlined the importance of point-of-care diagnostics, as well as accurate, cost-effective serological antibody tests as well as point-of-care diagnostics to monitor the viral spread and contain pandemics and endemics. Here, we present a three-dimensional (3D) nanofluidic device for rapid and multiplexed detection of viral antibodies. The device is designed to size-dependently immobilize particles from a multi-particle mixture at predefined positions in nanochannels through capillary forces only, resulting in distinct trapping lines. We show that individual lines can be used as an on-chip fluorescence-linked immunosorbent assay for multiplexed detection of serological immunoglobulin antibodies against viral proteins with high sensitivity. Further device versatility is exhibited by on-bead color multiplexing for simultaneous detection of IgG and IgM antibodies in convalescent human serum and by concurrent detection of anti-spike (SARS-CoV-2) and anti-hemagglutinin (Influenza A) antibodies. The device’s applications can be further extended to detect a plethora of diseases simultaneously in a reliable and straightforward manner.