bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Reducing persecution is more effective for restoring large carnivores than restoring their prey
Authors: Bleyhl Benjamin , Ghoddousi Arash , Askerov Elshad , Bocedi Greta , Breitenmoser Urs , Manvelyan Karen , Palmer Stephen C. F. , Soofi Mahmood , Weinberg Paul , Zazanashvili Nugzar , Shmunk Valerii , Zurell Damaris , Kuemmerle Tobias 
Published: March 2021

AbstractLarge carnivores are currently disappearing from many world regions because of habitat loss, prey depletion, and persecution. Ensuring large carnivore persistence requires safeguarding and sometimes facilitating the expansion of their populations. Understanding which conservation strategies, such as reducing persecution or restoring prey, are most effective to help carnivores to reclaim their former ranges is therefore important. Here, we systematically explored such alternative strategies for the endangered Persian leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor) in the Caucasus. We combined a rule‐based habitat suitability map and a spatially explicit leopard population model to identify potential leopard subpopulations (i.e., breeding patches), and to test the effect of different levels of persecution reduction and prey restoration on leopard population viability across the entire Caucasus ecoregion and northern Iran (about 737,000 km2). We identified substantial areas of potentially suitable leopard habitat (~120,000 km2), most of which is currently unoccupied. Our model revealed that leopards could potentially recolonize these patches and increase to a population of >1,000 individuals in 100 yr, but only in scenarios of medium to high persecution reduction and prey restoration. Overall, reducing persecution had a more pronounced effect on leopard metapopulation viability than prey restoration: Without conservation strategies to reduce persecution, leopards went extinct from the Caucasus in all scenarios tested. Our study highlights the importance of persecution reduction in small populations, which should hence be prioritized when resources for conservation are limited. We show how individual‐based, spatially explicit metapopulation models can help in quantifying the recolonization potential of large carnivores in unoccupied habitat, designing adequate conservation strategies to foster such recolonizations, and anticipating the long‐term prospects of carnivore populations under alternative scenarios. Our study also outlines how data scarcity, which is typical for threatened range‐expanding species, can be overcome with a rule‐based habitat map. For Persian leopards, our projections clearly suggest that there is a large potential for a viable metapopulation in the Caucasus, but only if major conservation actions are taken towards reducing persecution and restoring prey.
Full spectrum of clonal haematopoiesis‐driver mutations in chronic heart failure and their associations with mortality
Authors: Kiefer Katharina C. , Cremer Sebastian , Pardali Evangelia , Assmus Birgit , Abou‐El‐Ardat Khalil , Kirschbaum Klara , Dorsheimer Lena , Rasper Tina , Berkowitsch Alexander , Serve Hubert , Dimmeler Stefanie , Zeiher Andreas M. , Rieger Michael A. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractAimsSomatic mutations in haematopoietic stem cells can lead to the clonal expansion of mutated blood cells, known as clonal haematopoiesis (CH). Mutations in the most prevalent driver genes DNMT3A and TET2 with a variant allele frequency (VAF) ≥ 2% have been associated with atherosclerosis and chronic heart failure of ischemic origin (CHF). However, the effects of mutations in other driver genes for CH with low VAF (<2%) on CHF are still unknown.Methods and resultsTherefore, we analysed mononuclear bone marrow and blood cells from 399 CHF patients by deep error‐corrected targeted sequencing of 56 genes and associated mutations with the long‐term mortality in these patients (3.95 years median follow‐up). We detected 1113 mutations with a VAF ≥ 0.5% in 347 of 399 patients, and only 13% had no detectable CH. Despite a high prevalence of mutations in the most frequently mutated genes DNMT3A (165 patients) and TET2 (107 patients), mutations in CBL, CEBPA, EZH2, GNB1, PHF6, SMC1A, and SRSF2 were associated with increased death compared with the average death rate of all patients. To avoid confounding effects, we excluded patients with DNMT3A‐related, TET2‐related, and other clonal haematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP)‐related mutations with a VAF ≥ 2% for further analyses. Kaplan–Meier survival analyses revealed a significantly higher mortality in patients with mutations in either of the seven genes (53 patients), combined as the CH‐risk gene set for CHF. Baseline patient characteristics showed no significant differences in any parameter including patient age, confounding diseases, severity of CHF, or blood cell parameters except for a reduced number of platelets in patients with mutations in the risk gene set in comparison with patients without. However, carrying a mutation in any of the risk genes remained significant after multivariate cox regression analysis (hazard ratio, 3.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.8–5.4; P < 0.001), whereas platelet numbers did not.ConclusionsSomatic mutations with low VAF in a distinct set of genes, namely, in CBL, CEBPA, EZH2, GNB1, PHF6, SMC1A, and SRSF2, are significantly associated with mortality in CHF, independently of the most prevalent CHIP‐mutations in DNMT3A and TET2. Mutations in these genes are prevalent in young CHF patients and comprise an independent risk factor for the outcome of CHF, potentially providing a novel tool for risk assessment in CHF.
Influence of renal insufficiency pre‐heart transplantation on malignancy risk post‐heart transplantation
Authors: Roest Stefan , Struijk Christianne , Constantinescu Alina A. , Caliskan Kadir , Plasmeijer Elsemieke I. , Boersma Eric , Brugts Jasper J. , Manintveld Olivier C. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractAimsRecent reports demonstrated that patients with heart failure (HF) might have an increased risk to develop malignancies. This is also seen in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Immunosuppression in heart transplantation (HT) recipients additionally increases the risk of malignancies. The aim of this study was to determine the relation between HF duration and CKD pre‐HT and the risk of malignancy development post‐HT.Methods and resultsWe included all adult HT recipients transplanted between January 2000 and November 2017 in our centre. Patients were excluded if they died or were retransplanted within 3 months post‐HT. Clinical characteristics were retrospectively collected. Sixty out of 250 patients (24%) developed a malignancy after a median of 66 months [interquartile range 33–108] post‐HT. In multivariable Cox regression analysis, HF duration was not a risk factor for all malignancies or solid organ malignancies post‐HT [hazard ratio (HR) 1.033 (0.974–1.096), P = 0.281 and HR 1.036 (0.958–1.120), P = 0.376, respectively]. Age [HR 1.051 (1.016–1.086), P = 0.004] and CKD pre‐HT [HR 2.173 (1.236–3.822), P = 0.007] were independent risk factors for all malignancies. CKD pre‐HT [HR 2.542 (1.142–5.661), P = 0.022] increased the risk for solid organ malignancies. Exclusion of patients with durable mechanical circulatory support in the analysis did not alter the significance of these risk factors.ConclusionsDuration of HF pre‐HT was not associated with malignancy risk post‐HT. CKD was an independent risk factor for malignancies post‐HT. More studies are needed to investigate this association.
A Novel Luminescent Metal‐Organic Framework as a Remarkable Sensor for Detecting Aristolochic Acids in Biological Fluids
Authors: Song Lijun , Liu Meiying , Tian Fuli , Liu Zhiliang 
Published: March 2021

AbstractAbstract: Aristolochic acids (AAs) have caused widespread concern as highly nephrotoxic and carcinogenic substances. Therefore, it is essential to explore a simple and feasible method to detect AAs for disease prevention and clinical diagnosis. In this work, we designed and synthesized a novel luminescent metal organic framework (Zn‐MOF), which has excellent structural stability and fluorescence stability. Notably, the luminescent Zn‐MOF exhibits strong blue emission owing to ligand‐centered electronic transitions, while being capable as a selective sensor for the quantitative detection of AAs in biological fluids with low detection limit. The fluorescence analysis method, possessing the advantages of reliability and high accuracy, further demonstrated that Zn‐MOF has potential applications in monitoring the carcinogen biomarker AAs. Moreover, a paper‐based sensor has been devised by depositing Zn‐MOF on filter paper, which provides a novel strategy for visual, rapid, and on‐site AAs detection with the naked eye.
Pd‐Catalyzed Sonogashira Cross‐Coupling Reactions of gem‐Dibromovinyl BODIPY Derivatives
Authors: Ali Hasrat , Guérin Brigitte , van Lier Johan E. 
Published: March 2021

Abstract4,4‐Difluoro‐4‐bora‐3a,4a‐diaza‐s‐indacene (BODIPY) derivatives bearing gem‐dibromovinyl moieties at either the β‐ or α‐positions of the pyrrole rings, directly or through phenyl spacers, undergo efficiently Sonogashira and Stille Pd‐catalyzed cross‐coupling. The structures of the resulting 1,1‐diynyl‐1‐alkene and 1,1‐diphenyl‐1‐alkene products were assigned using MS, NMR and in some cases X‐ray diffraction analysis. 1,1‐Diynyl‐1‐alkene BODIPYs exhibit red shifted absorption maxima, particularly when substituents were introduced at the α‐position rather than the β‐position of the pyrrole ring. Aromatic compounds showed larger red shifts as compared to the aliphatic substituted analogs. The highest red shifts were observed with compounds featuring electron donating substituents. Spectroscopic properties of α‐substituted 1,1‐diynyl‐p‐N,N‐dimethylaminophenyl‐1‐alkenes are sensitive to protonation resulting in remarkable pH‐responsive changes in the absorption and fluorescence emission spectra.
Low‐power gas microbubble detection technology based on acoustic resonance
Authors: Rivera Manuel , López Edwin , Cancelos Silvina , Marín Carlos 
Published: March 2021

AbstractA novel approach towards developing a microbubble detection technology based on using a piezoelectric transducer to induce an acoustic resonance state within the system under investigation is here presented. The concept, originally proof‐of‐concept tested in a cylindrical acoustic resonant chamber, has proven to be able to detect single microbubbles with diameters in the range of 390–600 μm in a swine thigh, with either saline solution or sheep blood as the medium in the bubble guide. It has shown to be extremely adaptable, capable of accommodating industrial pipes as well as biological specimens, resilient and energy efficient, able to detect microbubbles with 0.8 mW and potentially less.
Association of serum selenium with anemia‐related indicators and risk of anemia
Authors: Zhou Qing , Zhang Baozhu , Chen Xi , Chen Qiuyan , Hao Lu 
Published: March 2021

AbstractFew studies have examined the association of serum selenium with anemia‐related indicators and risk of anemia. We conducted a cross‐sectional analysis of 2,902 adults in 2003–2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database. Multivariable linear and logistic regression models were used to examine the association of serum selenium with anemia‐related indicators and risk of anemia. The nonlinear relationship was analyzed using a generalized additive model with the smoothing plot. A total of 1,472 males and 1,430 females with a mean age of 61.94 ± 13.73 years were included. Compared with the lowest quintile, the highest quintile of serum selenium was associated with increased level of serum iron (β = 12.44, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 7.14, 17.75, p < .001), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) (β = 0.14, 95%CI: 0.02, 0.26, p = .020), and hemoglobin (β = 0.40, 95%CI: 0.19, 0.61, p < .001), and decreased risk of anemia (odds ratio [OR] = 0.47, 95%CI: 0.28, 0.77, p = .002). Furthermore, smoothed plots suggested the nonlinear relationships between serum selenium and MCHC, hemoglobin level, and risk of anemia. Interestingly, on the left of inflection point, serum selenium was associated with decreased risk of anemia (OR = 0.972, 95%CI: 0.960, 0.985, p < .001), and then, the risk of anemia increased with increasing serum selenium concentration (OR = 1.011, 95%CI: 1.002, 1.021, p = .023). Future large‐scale, polycentric prospective studies should be conducted to verify our results.
Black Patients Have Unequal Access to Listing for Liver Transplantation in the United States
Authors: Rosenblatt Russell , Wahid Nabeel , Halazun Karim J. , Kaplan Alyson , Jesudian Arun , Lucero Catherine , Lee Jihui , Dove Lorna , Fox Alyson , Verna Elizabeth , Samstein Benjamin , Fortune Brett E. , Brown Robert S. 
Published: March 2021

Background and Aims
The Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease score may have eliminated racial disparities on the waitlist for liver transplantation (LT), but disparities prior to waitlist placement have not been adequately quantified. We aimed to analyze differences in patients who are listed for LT, undergo transplantation, and die from end‐stage liver disease (ESLD), stratified by state and race/ethnicity.

Approach and Results
We analyzed two databases retrospectively, the Center for Disease Control Wide‐ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) and the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) databases, from 2014 to 2018. We included patients aged 25‐64 years who had a primary cause of death of ESLD and were listed for transplant in the CDC WONDER or UNOS database. Our primary outcome was the ratio of listing for LT to death from ESLD—listing to death ratio (LDR). Our secondary outcome was the transplant to listing and transplant to death ratios. Chi‐squared and multivariable linear regression evaluated for differences between races/ethnicities. There were 135,367 patients who died of ESLD, 54,734 patients who were listed for transplant, and 26,571 who underwent transplant. Patients were mostly male and White. The national LDR was 0.40, significantly lowest in Black patients (0.30), P < 0.001. The national transplant to listing ratio was 0.48, highest in Black patients (0.53), P < 0.01. The national transplant to death ratio was 0.20, lowest in Black patients (0.16), P < 0.001. States that had an above‐mean LDR had a lower transplant to listing ratio but a higher transplant to death ratio. Multivariable analysis confirmed that Black race is significantly associated with a lower LDR and transplant to death ratio.

Conclusions
Black patients face a disparity in access to LT due to low listing rates for transplant relative to deaths from ESLD.
Bacterially derived medical devices: How commercialization of bacterial nanocellulose and other biofabricated products requires challenging of standard industrial practices
Authors: Inselman Darric W. , Medberry Christopher J. , Czaja Wojciech K. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe objectives of innovation are often diametrically opposed to industrially standardized practices. The burgeoning field of Biofabrication represents one type of challenge that falls outside the norms of not only standardized industrial practices, but also those of Health Authorities. Biofabrication produces complex “biological products from raw materials such as living cells, molecules, extracellular matrices, and biomaterials” Mironov V, et al. Biofabrication, 2009, 1, 1–16. One such material is Bacterial Nanocellulose, a biologically derived cellulose structure with tissue like qualities, which does not fit within standardized manufacturing methods nor the well‐established parameters of medical device quality system regulations found within 21 CFR 820. Materials like this are necessary to address the hidden risks associated with their contending products, animal derived tissues, to move to a more sustainable manufacturing, and an animal cruelty free approach to medical device production. The goal of this manuscript, therefore, is to provide an example roadmap for navigating established quality system parameters while highlighting the need for Health Authorities to provide guidance to both industry and themselves as the field of advanced manufacturing continues to rapidly progress.
Improved dental student clinical skills performance through an integrated dental and medical student curriculum
Authors: Plant Alexandria N. , Caines Laurie C. , Wu Rong 
Published: March 2021

AbstractPurpose/objectivesIn light of a movement to eliminate the historical separation of dentistry and medicine to produce more collaborative and knowledgeable clinicians and to improve care, integrated education models are vital. This study aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness of an integrated medical and dental student curriculum at the University of Connecticut. It was hypothesized that a medical and dental student doctoring course within an already combined biomedical curriculum would result in statistically significantly increases in dental student clinical skills performance.MethodsAnalysis of variance (ANOVA) was utilized for an overall test of scores from 2016 to 2019. When ANOVA indicated significant differences, post hoc pairwise comparisons using Tukey's adjustment classified pairs that differed significantly. Lastly, a contrast was constructed to test the difference before and after the course's introduction. A two‐sided α of 0.05 was used.ResultsDental students were assessed on three cases for history taking and master interview rating scale (MIRS) criteria. The mean averages in history taking and MIRS criteria after the implementation of this course increased by 7.81 (SE = 1.83, p < 0.0001) and 11.95 (SE = 1.34, p < 0.0001) for a toothache case, 11.37 (SE = 1.98, p < 0.0001) and 9.84 (SE = 1.35, p < 0.0001) for a loose bridge case, and 12.47 (SE = 1.75, p < 0.0001) and 10.07 (SE = 1.28, p < 0.0001) for a sensitive tooth case.ConclusionAn integrated doctoring course within a combined curriculum at the University of Connecticut Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine resulted in a statistically significant increase in dental student clinical skills assessment scores, demonstrating this model's utility.
Abbreviated Magnetic Resonance Imaging With Breath‐Hold Three‐Dimensional Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography: Assessment of Malignant Risk of Pancreatic Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm
Authors: Yoo Jeongin , Min Ji Hye , Lee Dong Ho , Hur Bo Yun , Kim Se Woo , Kim Eunju 
Published: March 2021

BackgroundFor surveillance of pancreatic intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)/magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is preferred over computed tomography, but the long acquisition time limits its use.PurposeTo investigate the diagnostic performance of abbreviated MRI with breath‐hold (BH) three‐dimensional MRCP (abbreviated MRI‐BH) for malignant risk assessment of pancreatic IPMN.Study TypeRetrospective.PopulationTwo hundred and thirty‐five patients with IPMNs (M:F = 115:120; mean age ± SD, 66 ± 9 years; typical imaging features with ≥2‐year stability [N = 172] and histopathologically confirmed [N = 63]).Field Strength/Sequence3.0 T/ abbreviated MRI‐BH (single‐shot fast spin‐echo, T1W fat‐suppressed gradient‐echo sequence, and BH‐3D‐MRCP).AssessmentAbbreviated MRI‐BH was reviewed by three reviewers, and its diagnostic performance was assessed using the predetermined scoring system. The diagnostic performance for the mural nodule detection was assessed. Additionally, diagnostic performance of abbreviated MRI was compared with that of full‐sequence MRI.Statistical TestsArea under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) with z‐test, and linear‐weighted kappa values.ResultsThirty‐five patients had malignant IPMN. At a cut‐off score ≥3, AUCs of abbreviated MRI‐BH for detecting malignant IPMN were 0.959 for reviewer 1, 0.962 for reviewer 2, and 0.956 for reviewer 3. The sensitivity of reviewers 1, 2, and 3 was 97.1% for all, and the specificity was 85.5%, 86.0%, and 85.0%, respectively. Regarding mural nodule detection (N = 22), abbreviated MRI‐BH demonstrated a sensitivity of 95.5% and a specificity of 88.3% for reviewer 1, a sensitivity of 86.4% and a specificity of 92.0% for reviewer 2, and a sensitivity of 86.4% and a specificity of 89.2% for reviewer 3. There were no significant differences between AUC of abbreviated MRI‐BH and that of full‐sequence MRI in the three reviewers (P > 0.05).Data ConclusionAbbreviated MRI‐BH showed good diagnostic performance for detecting malignant IPMNs by using a predetermined scoring system.Level of Evidence3Technical Efficacy Stage2
Late Quaternary chironomid community structure shaped by rate and magnitude of climate change
Authors: Mayfield Roseanna J. , Langdon Peter G. , Doncaster C. Patrick , Dearing John A. , Wang Rong , Velle Gaute , Davies Kimberley L. , Brooks Stephen J. 
Published: March 2021

ABSTRACTMuch is known about how climate change impacts ecosystem richness and turnover, but we have less understanding of its influence on ecosystem structures. Here, we use ecological metrics (beta diversity, compositional disorder and network skewness) to quantify the community structural responses of temperature‐sensitive chironomids (Diptera: Chironomidae) during the Late Glacial (14 700–11 700 cal a bp) and Holocene (11 700 cal a bp to present). Analyses demonstrate high turnover (beta diversity) of chironomid composition across both epochs; however, structural metrics stayed relatively intact. Compositional disorder and skewness show greatest structural change in the Younger Dryas, following the rapid, high‐magnitude climate change at the Bølling–Allerød to Younger Dryas transition. There were fewer climate‐related structural changes across the early to mid–late Holocene, where climate change was more gradual and lower in magnitude. The reduced impact on structural metrics could be due to greater functional resilience provided by the wider chironomid community, or to the replacement of same functional‐type taxa in the network structure. These results provide insight into how future rapid climate change may alter chironomid communities and could suggest that while turnover may remain high under a rapidly warming climate, community structural dynamics retain some resilience.
Thermodynamic Parameters and Interfacial Properties of Poly(ethylene glycol)‐octyl Sulfosuccinates
Authors: Cai Hongyan , Luo Wenli , Zheng Yancheng , Zhang Yi , Lai Lu , Tang Shanfa 
Published: March 2021

AbstractSurface tension of a series of poly(ethylene glycol)‐octyl sulfosuccinates at different temperatures was measured, and the interfacial properties were investigated in the absence and presence of inorganic salts. Surface tension results indicate that critical micelle concentration (CMC) values of five surfactants (C8‐PEG200, C8‐PEG400, C8‐PEG600, C8‐PEG800, and C8‐PEG1000) decrease as the molecular weight of polyethylene glycol (PEG) segments and the experimental temperature increases. The surface activity of the C8‐PEG series changes with temperature, and the surface tension at the CMC (γCMC) of the C8‐PEG series decreases initially and then increases as the PEG molecular weight increases. This behavior may be attributed to the dehydration of the surfactant molecules, resulting in the change of hydrophile–lipophile balance for the different EO numbers in the surfactant molecules, which form a different surface energy film at the air–water interface. Negative ΔGm indicates that the micellization process of these surfactants is spontaneous and an entropically driven process. For the water/alkane interface, these surfactants have low interfacial activity. The interfacial tension (IFT) between these surfactants and alkanes increases first and then decreases with the increase in the molecular weight of PEG segments. After the addition of salt, the interfacial activity of the investigated surfactants increases significantly. The IFT between C8‐PEG800 and 10–12 alkanes and between C8‐PEG1000 and 12–16 alkanes reaches a low IFT magnitude of 10−2 mN m−1 in the presence of 0.5% CaCl2 or the mixed inorganic salts 0.5% NaCl+0.5% CaCl2.