bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Diagnosis of transition zone prostate cancer by multiparametric MRI: added value of MR spectroscopic imaging with sLASER volume selection
Authors: Gholizadeh Neda , Greer Peter B. , Simpson John , Goodwin Jonathan , Fu Caixia , Lau Peter , Siddique Saabir , Heerschap Arend , Ramadan Saadallah 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Background
Current multiparametric MRI (mp-MRI) in routine clinical practice has poor-to-moderate diagnostic performance for transition zone prostate cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential diagnostic performance of novel 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) using a semi-localized adiabatic selective refocusing (sLASER) sequence with gradient offset independent adiabaticity (GOIA) pulses in addition to the routine mp-MRI, including T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and quantitative dynamic contrast enhancement (DCE) for transition zone prostate cancer detection, localization and grading.

Methods
Forty-one transition zone prostate cancer patients underwent mp-MRI with an external phased-array coil. Normal and cancer regions were delineated by two radiologists and divided into low-risk, intermediate-risk, and high-risk categories based on TRUS guided biopsy results. Support vector machine models were built using different clinically applicable combinations of T2WI, DWI, DCE, and MRSI. The diagnostic performance of each model in cancer detection was evaluated using the area under curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic diagram. Then accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of each model were calculated. Furthermore, the correlation of mp-MRI parameters with low-risk, intermediate-risk and high-risk cancers were calculated using the Spearman correlation coefficient.

Results
The addition of MRSI to T2WI + DWI and T2WI + DWI + DCE improved the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity for cancer detection. The best performance was achieved with T2WI + DWI + MRSI where the addition of MRSI improved the AUC, accuracy, sensitivity and specificity from 0.86 to 0.99, 0.83 to 0.96, 0.80 to 0.95, and 0.85 to 0.97 respectively. The (choline + spermine + creatine)/citrate ratio of MRSI showed the highest correlation with cancer risk groups (r = 0.64, p < 0.01).

Conclusion
The inclusion of GOIA-sLASER MRSI into conventional mp-MRI significantly improves the diagnostic accuracy of the detection and aggressiveness assessment of transition zone prostate cancer.
Cellulose induced protein 1 (Cip1) from Trichoderma reesei enhances the enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated lignocellulose
Authors: Jia Hexue , Sun Wan , Li Xuezhi , Zhao Jian 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Background
Trichoderma reesei is currently the main strain for the commercial production of cellulase. Cellulose induced protein 1 (Cip1) is one of the most abundant proteins in extracellular proteins of T. reesei. Reported literatures about Cip1 mainly focused on the regulation of Cip1 and its possible enzyme activities, but the effect of Cip1 on the enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulose and possible mechanism have not still been reported.

Results
In this study, Cip1 from T. reesei was cloned, expressed and purified, and its effects on enzymatic hydrolysis of several different pretreated lignocellulose were investigated. It was found that Cip1 could promote the enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated lignocellulose, and the promoting effect was significantly better than that of bovine serum albumin (BSA). And especially for the lignocellulosic substrate with high lignin content such as liquid hot water pretreated corn stover and corncob residue, the promoting effect of Cip1 was even better than that of the commercial cellulase when adding equal amount protein. It was also showed that the metal ions Zn2+ and Cu2+ influenced the promoting effect on enzymatic hydrolysis. The Cip1 protein had no lyase activity, but it could destroy the crystal structure of cellulose and reduce the non-productive adsorption of cellulase on lignin, which partly interpreted the promoting effect of Cip1 on enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulose.

Conclusion
The Cip1 from T. reesei could significantly promote the enzymatic hydrolysis of pretreated lignocellulose, and the promotion of Cip1 was even higher than that of commercial cellulase in the enzymatic hydrolysis of the substrates with high lignin content. This study will help us to better optimize cellulase to improve its ability to degrade lignocellulose, thereby reducing the cost of enzymes required for enzymatic hydrolysis.
Pseudoginsengenin DQ exerts antitumour activity against hypopharyngeal cancer cells by targeting the HIF-1α-GLUT1 pathway
Authors: Wang Sanchun , Cai Yu , Feng Qingjie , Gao Jing , Teng Bo 
Published: July 2021

AbstractBackgroundGinsenosides have been reported to possess a variety of biological activities. Synthesized from the ginsenoside protopanaxadiol (PPD), the octanone pseudoginsengenin DQ (PDQ) may have robust pharmacological effects as a secondary ginsenoside. Nevertheless, its antitumour activity and molecular mechanism against hypopharyngeal cancer cells remain unclear.MethodsCell Counting Kit8 assays, cell cycle assays and cell apoptosis assays were conducted to assess FaDu cell proliferation, cell phase and apoptosis. The interactions between PDQ and HIF-1α were investigated by a molecular docking study. The expression of HIF-1α, GLUT1, and apoptosis-related proteins was detected by Western blotting, direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM) and qRT-PCR. A glucose uptake assay was used to assess the glucose uptake capacity of FaDu cells.ResultsPDQ suppressed proliferation, reduced glucose uptake, and induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in FaDu cells. A molecular docking study demonstrated that PDQ could interact with the active site of HIF-1α. PDQ decreased the expression and mRNA levels of HIF-1α and its downstream factor GLUT1. Moreover, the dSTORM results showed that PDQ reduced GLUT1 expression on the cell membrane and inhibited GLUT1 clustering.ConclusionOur work showed that the antitumour effect of PDQ was related to the downregulation of the HIF-1α-GLUT1 pathway, suggesting that PDQ could be a potential therapeutic agent for hypopharyngeal cancer treatment.
Hospitalization and colonization by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the surgical department of 03 health facilities in the Ndé division, West-Cameroon
Authors: Nankam William Lelorel Nguekap , Kwetche Pierre René Fotsing , Tazemda-Kuitsouc Gildas Boris , Chouna Golda Joyce Djeutsa , Tekam Jean Michel 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Background
Commensal flora colonization during hospitalization by bacteria is the first step for nosocomial infections while antibiotic resistance reduces therapeutic options. In aim to control this phenomenon, we initiated this study to describe the impact of hospitalization on colonization by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the surgical department of 03 health facilities in the Ndé division, West-Cameroon.

Methods
This study was carried out on patients admitted for surgery in 03 health facilities of the Ndé division, West-Cameroon (District Hospital of Bangangté, Protestant Hospital of Bangwa and Cliniques Universitaires des Montagnes). After obtaining ethical clearance and authorizations, nasal swabs were performed at admission and discharge, with the aim of isolating bacteria and performing their antibiotic susceptibility tests. Informations on each participant's antibiotic therapy were recorded. Laboratory investigations were carried out according to standard protocols (CASFM, 2019).

Results
The most commonly used antibiotics were β-lactams. A total of 104 nasal swabs were performed on 52 patients who agreed to participate to the study. From the analysis, 110 (57 at admission versus 53 at discharge) Staphylococcus isolates were obtained. Overall, susceptibility testing showed that antibiotic resistance rates were higher at discharge than at admission; with significant differences between the susceptibility profiles obtained at admission and discharge for β-lactams and not significant for fluoroquinolones and aminoglycosides. Globally, frequency of nasal carriage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus at discharge 16 (30.77%) was significantly higher than at admission 07 (13.46%) with Chi-2 = 4.52 and p = 0.0335.

Conclusion
The high rates of antibiotic resistance of bacteria isolated at discharge compared to those isolated at admission obtained in the present investigation, highlights the important role that hospitalization plays in the selection and dissemination of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and colonization by these bacteria in health structures of Ndé division. As a result, further investigations to find the factors that promote this phenomenon should be carried out.
Serum IgG level is a predicting factor for the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Nakaya Seiichi , Ogawa Ryo , Hayakawa Shunsuke , Fujihata Shiro , Okubo Tomotaka , Sagawa Hiroyuki , Tanaka Tatsuya , Takahashi Hiroki , Matsuo Yoichi , Takiguchi Shuji 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Background
Despite the established oncological benefits of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for esophageal squamous cell cancer, not all cases demonstrate benefit. Hence, predicting the response to chemotherapy before treatment is desirable. Some reports have shown that immune factors are related to the chemotherapy response. This study aimed to investigate the utility of serum IgG levels for predicting chemotherapy response.

Methods
Among the patients who underwent esophagectomy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy at Nagoya City University Hospital between December 2012 and June 2019, 130 cases were included in this study. Response to chemotherapy and pretreatment serum IgG levels were examined in 77 cases. FP (5-fluorouracil and cisplatin) therapy or DCF (docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-FU) therapy was performed as neoadjuvant chemotherapy. DCF therapy was selected for patients aged <75 years, who could be safely administered chemotherapy based on their medical history.

Results
This study divided cases into two groups: the effective response group (PR) and ineffective response group (SD and PD). We classified 1, 37, and 39 cases as PD, PR, and SD, respectively. None of the cases were classified as CR. The effective response group had significantly lower serum IgG levels than the ineffective response group (p < 0.001). The cutoff serum IgG value was determined to be 1087 mg/dL. The low IgG group had significantly more cases who had effective response to chemotherapy compared with the high IgG group (odds ratio [OR] = 9.009; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.974–30.157; p < 0.001). Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed serum IgG level to be an independent predictor for response to chemotherapy (p = 0.001). Furthermore, cases with effective pathological response had significantly lower pretreatment serum IgG levels than those who did not (p = 0.006).

Conclusions
Our finding showed that serum IgG levels can be an independent predictor of the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Trial registration
This retrospective study was approved by the review board of Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences (reception number: 60-18-0008).
A novel prognostic model based on epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related genes predicts patient survival in gastric cancer
Authors: Song Wanting , Bai Yi , Zhu Jialin , Zeng Fanxin , Yang Chunmeng , Hu Beibei , Sun Mingjun , Li Chenyan , Peng Shiqiao , Chen Moye , Sun Xuren 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Background
Gastric cancer (GC) represents a major malignancy and is the third deathliest cancer globally. Several lines of evidence indicate that the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has a critical function in the development of gastric cancer. Although plentiful molecular biomarkers have been identified, a precise risk model is still necessary to help doctors determine patient prognosis in GC.

Methods
Gene expression data and clinical information for GC were acquired from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and 200 EMT-related genes (ERGs) from the Molecular Signatures Database (MSigDB). Then, ERGs correlated with patient prognosis in GC were assessed by univariable and multivariable Cox regression analyses. Next, a risk score formula was established for evaluating patient outcome in GC and validated by survival and ROC curves. In addition, Kaplan-Meier curves were generated to assess the associations of the clinicopathological data with prognosis. And a cohort from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was used for validation.

Results
Six EMT-related genes, including CDH6, COL5A2, ITGAV, MATN3, PLOD2, and POSTN, were identified. Based on the risk model, GC patients were assigned to the high- and low-risk groups. The results revealed that the model had good performance in predicting patient prognosis in GC.

Conclusions
We constructed a prognosis risk model for GC. Then, we verified the performance of the model, which may help doctors predict patient prognosis.
Claudin-7 deficiency promotes stemness properties in colorectal cancer through Sox9-mediated Wnt/β-catenin signalling
Authors: Xu Chang , Ding Yu-han , Wang Kun , Hao Mengdi , Li Huimin , Ding Lei 
Published: July 2021

AbstractBackgroundColorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignant tumour of the digestive tract that is characterized by high patient morbidity and mortality rates. Claudin-7 (Cldn7), a tight junction protein, was recently reported to function as a candidate tumour suppressor gene in CRC. Our previous study demonstrated that the large intestine of C57/BL6 mice showed intestinal adenomas and abnormal Ki67 expression and distribution in the intestinal crypt when Cldn7 was knocked out. The aim of this study was to further investigate whether Cldn7 deficiency has non-tight junction functions, affects intestinal stemness properties, promotes CRC and to determine the specific mechanism.MethodsCell proliferation assays, migration assays, apoptosis assays, tumour sphere formation assays in vitro,and subcutaneous xenograft models in vivo were used to determine the effects of Cldn7 knockdown on the biological characteristics of CRC stem cells. Western blotting, qPCR and immunofluorescence staining were performed to identify the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and the activation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway in CRC stem cells. Cldn7 inducible conditional gene knockout mice and immunohistochemical staining further verified this hypothesis in vivo. The mechanism and target of Cldn7 were determined by performing a chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay and coimmunoprecipitation (CoIP) assay.ResultsCldn7 knock down in CRC stem cells promoted cell proliferation, migration, and globular growth in serum-free medium and the ability to form xenograft tumours; cell apoptosis was inhibited, while the cellular epithelial-mesenchymal transition was also observed. These changes in cell characteristics were achieved by activating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and promoting the expression of downstream target genes after β-catenin entry into the nucleus, as observed in CRC cell lines and Cldn7 gene knockout mouse experiments. Using ChIP and CoIP experiments, we initially found that Cldn7 and Sox9 interacted at the protein level to activate the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.ConclusionsBased on our research, Cldn7 deficiency confers stemness properties in CRC through Sox9-mediated Wnt/β-catenin signalling. This result clarifies that Cldn7 plays an inhibitory role in CRC and reveals a possible molecular mechanism, which is conducive to further research on Cldn7 and cancer stem cells.
A qualitative exploratory study of selected physicians’ perceptions of the management of non-communicable diseases at a referral hospital in Zimbabwe
Authors: Cheza Alexander , Tlou Boikhutso 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Introduction
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have recently become a global public health burden and a leading cause of premature death, mainly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The aim of the study was to explore physicians’ perceptions on the availability and quality of clinical care for the management of NCDs.

Methods
This was a qualitative exploratory study meant to obtain expert perceptions on clinical care delivery for NCDs in one Zimbabwean central hospital setting. Data was collected from participants who consented and was analyzed using Stata version 13. A four-point Likert scale was used to categorize different levels of perceived satisfaction.

Findings
Twenty-three doctors participated in the study: four female doctors and nineteen males. Nineteen of the doctors were general practitioners, whilst four were specialists. The findings indicated that both categories perceived some shortfalls in clinical care for NCDs. Moreover, the perceptions of general practitioners and specialists were not significantly different. Participants perceived cancer care to be lagging far behind the other three NCDs under study. Care of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and diabetes showed mixed perceptions amongst participants, with positive perceptions almost equaling negative perceptions. Furthermore, hypertension was perceived to be clinically cared for better than the other NCDs under consideration. Reasons for the gaps in NCD clinical care were attributed by 33% of the participants to financial challenges; a further 27% to patient behavioral challenges; and 21% to communication challenges.

Conclusions
The article concludes that care delivery for the selected NCDs under study at CCH need to be improved. Furthermore, it is crucial to diagnose NCDs before patients show clinical symptoms. This helps disease prognosis to yield better care results. The evaluation of doctors’ perceptions indicates the need to improve NCD care at the institution in order to control NCD co-morbidities that may increase mortality.
Kinetics of HE4 and CA125 as prognosis biomarkers during neoadjuvant chemotherapy in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer
Authors: Alegría-Baños Jorge A. , Jiménez-López José C. , Vergara-Castañeda Arely , de León David F. Cantú , Mohar-Betancourt Alejandro , Pérez-Montiel Delia , Sánchez-Domínguez Gisela , García-Villarejo Mariana , Olivares-Pérez César , Hernández-Constantino Ángel , González-Santiago Acitlalin , Clara-Altamirano Miguel , Arela-Quispe Liz , Prada-Ortega Diddier 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Background
Ovarian cancer (OC) is considered the most lethal gynecological cancer, of which more than 65% cases are diagnosed in advanced stages, requiring platinum-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT).

Methods
A prospective-longitudinal study was conducted among women with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (AEOC), III and IV stages, and treated with NACT, at the National Cancer Institute – Mexico, from July 2017 to July 2018. Serum samples were obtained for quantification of CA125 and HE4 using ELISA at the first and in each of the three NACT cycles. The therapeutic response was evaluated through standard tomography. We determined whether CA125 and HE4, alone or in combination, were associated with TR to NACT during follow up.

Results
53 patients aged 38 to 79 years were included, 92.4% presented papillary serous subtype OC. Higher serum HE4 levels were observed in patients with non-tomographic response (6.89 vs 5.19 pmol/mL; p = 0.031), specially during the second (p = 0.039) and third cycle of NACT (p = 0.031). Multivariate-adjusted models showed an association between HE4 levels and TR, from the second treatment cycle (p = 0.042) to the third cycle (p = 0.033). Changes from baseline HE4 levels during the first cycle was negative associated with TR. No associations were found between CA125 and TR.

Conclusions
Serum HE4 levels were independently associated with TR among patients with AOEC treated with NACT, also a reduction between baseline HE4 and first chemotherapy levels was also independently associated with the TR. These findings might be relevant for predicting a lack of response to treatment.
Nonhepatic hyperammonemic encephalopathy complications following bariatric surgery: a case report and review of the literature
Authors: Vinegrad Nuphar , Staretz-Chacham Orna , Barski Leonid , Bartal Carmi 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Background
Hyperammonemic encephalopathy, a rare but fatal condition, is increasingly being reported as a possible complication of bariatric surgery. Here, we present a case of hyperammonemic encephalopathy, focusing on the clinical presentation, diagnostic measures, and our treatment methods, which resulted in a rare favorable outcome, emphasizing the unique role of renal replacement treatment. We also provide a detailed discussion of the mechanism through which hyperammonemia occurs secondarily to bariatric surgery.

Case presentation
A 44-year-old Moroccan Jew woman with a history of obesity presented in the hospital with urea cycle disorder that manifested after bariatric surgery. A rapid diagnostic process, together with conservative treatment with lactulose, nutritional supplementation, dietary protein restriction, and ammonia scavengers did not result in adequate improvement. Therefore, hemofiltration was performed, which yielded a favorable outcome.

Conclusions
The case findings indicate an association between hyperammonemic encephalopathy and bariatric surgery, and support early treatment with ammonia scavengers, as currently accepted. Nevertheless, if rapid improvement is not seen, it is advisable to consider hemodialysis or hemofiltration as early invasive strategies.