bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
X-MyoNET: Biometric Identification using Deep Processing of Transient Surface Electromyography
Authors: Hu Qin , Sarmadi Alireza , Gulati Paras , Krishnamurthy Prashanth , Khorrami Farshad , Atashzar S. Farokh 
Published: December 2021

AbstractThe rapid development of the Internet and various applications such as the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) has raised substantial concerns about personal information security. Conventional methods (e.g., passwords) and classic biological features (e.g., fingerprints) are security deficient because of potential information leakage and hacking. Biometrics that expressbehavioral featuressuggest a robust approach to achieving information security because of the corresponding uniqueness and complexity. In this paper, we consider identifying human subjects based on their transient neurophysiological signature captured using multichannel upper-limb surface electromyography (sEMG). An explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) approach is proposed to process the internal dynamics of temporal sEMG signals. We propose and prove the suitability of “transient sEMG” as a biomarker that can identify individuals. For this, we utilize the Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-CAM) analysis to explain the network’s attention. The outcome not only decodes and makes the unique neurophysiological pattern (i.e., motor unit recruitment during the transient phase of contraction) associated with each individual visualizable but also generates an optimizing two-dimensional (2D) spectrotemporal mask used to significantly reduce the size of the model and the trainable parameters. The resulting mask selectively and systematically samples the spectrotemporal characteristics of the users’ neurophysiological responses, discarding 40% of the input space while securing the accuracy of about 74% with much shallower neural network architecture. In the systematic comparative study, we find that our proposed model outperforms several state-of-the-art algorithms. For broader impacts, we anticipate our design of a compact, practical, interpretable, and robust identification system that requires only a minimal number of gestures and sensors (only 7% of the entire data set) to be a starting point for small and portable identification hardware.
Linking gene expression patterns and brain morphometry to trauma and symptom severity in patients with functional seizures
Authors: Jungilligens Johannes , Popkirov Stoyan , Perez David L. , Diez Ibai 
Published: December 2021

AbstractObjectiveAdverse life experiences (ALEs) increase the susceptibility to functional (somatoform/dissociative) symptoms, likely through neurodevelopmental effects. This analysis aimed to illuminate potential genetic influences in neuroanatomical variation related to functional symptoms and ALEs in patients with functional seizures.MethodsQuestionnaires, structural brain MRIs and Allen Human Brain Atlas gene expression information were used to probe the intersection of functional symptom severity (Somatoform Dissociation Questionnaire, SDQ-20), ALE burden, and gray matter volumes in 20 patients with functional seizures.ResultsFunctional symptom severity positively correlated with the extent of sexual trauma, emotional neglect, and threat to life experiences. In voxel-based morphometry analyses, increased SDQ-20 scores related to decreased bilateral insula, left orbitofrontal, right amygdala, and perigenual and posterior cingulate gray matter volumes. Left insula findings held adjusted for psychiatric comorbidities. Increased sexual trauma burden correlated with decreased right posterior insula and putamen volumes; increased emotional neglect related to decreased bilateral insula and right amygdala volumes. The sexual trauma–right insula/putamen and emotional neglect– right amygdala relationships held adjusting for individual differences in psychiatric comorbidities. When probing the intersection of symptom severity and sexual trauma volumetric findings, genes overrepresented in adrenergic, serotonergic, oxytocin, opioid, and GABA receptor signaling pathways were spatially correlated. This set of genes was over-expressed in cortical and amygdala development.ConclusionALEs and functional symptom severity were associated with gray matter alterations in cingulo-insular and amygdala areas. Transcriptomic analysis of this anatomical variation revealed a potential involvement of several receptor signaling pathways.
Intact finger representation within primary sensorimotor cortex of Musician’s Dystonia
Authors: Sadnicka A , Wiestler T , Butler K , Altenmüller E , Edwards MJ , Ejaz N , Diedrichsen J 
Published: December 2021

AbstractMusician’s dystonia presents with a persistent deterioration of motor control during musical performance. A predominant hypothesis has been that this is underpinned by maladaptive neural changes to the somatotopic organisation of finger representations within primary somatosensory cortex. Here, we tested this hypothesis by investigating the finger-specific activity patterns in the primary somatosensory and motor cortex using functional MRI in nine musicians with dystonia and nine healthy musicians. A purpose-built keyboard device allowed functional MRI characterisation of activity patterns elicited during passive extension and active finger presses of individual fingers. We analysed the data using both traditional spatial analysis and state-of-the art multivariate analyses. Our analysis reveals that digit representations in musicians were poorly captured by spatial measures. An optimised spatial metric found clear somatotopy but no difference in the spatial geometry between fingers. Representational similarity analysis was confirmed as a highly reliable technique and more consistent than all spatial metrics evaluated. Significantly, the dissimilarity architecture was equivalent for musicians with and without dystonia and no expansion or spatial shift of digit representation maps were found in the symptomatic group. Our results therefore suggest that the neural representation of generic finger maps in primary sensorimotor cortex is intact in Musician’s dystonia. These results are against the idea that task-specific dystonia is associated with a distorted hand somatotopy and suggests that task-specific dystonia is due to a higher order disruption of skill encoding. Such a formulation can better explain the task-specific deficit and offers mechanistic insight for therapeutic interventions.
Employment status and its associated factor for patients 12 months after intensive care: Secondary analysis of the SMAP-HoPe-study
Authors: Unoki Takeshi , Kitayama Mio , Sakuramoto Hideaki , Ouchi Akira , Kuribara Tomoki , Yamaguchi Takako , Uemura Sakura , Fukuda Yuko , Haruna Junpei , Tsujimoto Takahiro , Hino Mayumi , Shiba Yuko , Nagao Takumi , Shirasaka Masako , Satoi Yosuke , Toyoshima Miki , Masuda Yoshiki 
Published: December 2021

AbstractReturning to work is a serious issue that affects patients who are being discharged from the intensive care unit (ICU). This study aimed to clarify the employment status and the perceived household financial status of ICU patients 12 months following discharge from the ICU. Additionally, a hypothesis of whether depressive symptoms were associated with subsequent unemployment status was tested. This study was a subgroup analysis using data from the published Survey of Multicenter Assessment with Postal questionnaire for Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS) for Home Living Patients (the SMAP-HoPe study) in Japan. The patients included those who had a history of staying in the ICU for at least three nights and had been living at home for one year following discharge, between October 2019 and July 2020. We assessed employment status, subjective cognitive functions, household financial status, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale scores, and EuroQOL-5 dimensions of physical function at 12 months following intensive care. This study included 328 patients who were known to be employed prior to ICU admission. The median age was 64 (Interquartile Range [IQR] 52-72), and males were predominant (86%). Seventy-nine (24%) of those evaluated were unemployed. The number of patients who reported worsened financial status was significantly higher in the unemployed group. (p<.01) Multivariate analysis showed that higher age (Odds Ratio [OR]: 1.06, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.03-1.08]) and severity of depressive symptoms (OR: 1.13 [95% CI: 1.05-1.23]) were independent factors for employment status after 12 months from being discharged from the ICU. These factors were determined to be significant even after adjusting for sex, physical function, and cognitive function. We found that one-fourth of our patients who had been employed prior to ICU admission were subsequently unemployed 12 months following ICU discharge. Additionally, depressive symptoms were associated with unemployment status. The government and the local municipalities should provide medical and financial support to such patients. Additionally, community support for such patients is warranted.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospital services for patients with cardiac diseases: a scoping review
Authors: de Lange Mats , Carvalho Ana Sofia , Fernandes Óscar Brito , Lingsma Hester , Klazinga Niek , Kringos Dionne 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBackgroundThe repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic concern care in many clinical areas, including cardiology. We aim to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospital care for cardiac patients.MethodsScoping review. Performance indicators were extracted and collated to inform on changes in the use of health services and care provided during January - June 2020.ResultsDatabase searches yielded 6277 articles, of which 838 articles met the inclusion criteria during initial screening. After full-text screening, 94 articles were considered for data extraction. In total, 1637 indicators were retrieved, showing large variation in the indicators and their definitions. Most of the indicators that provided information on changes in number of admissions (n=118, 88%) signalled a decrease in admissions; 88% (n=15) of the indicators showed patients’ delayed presentation and 40% (n=54) showed patients in a worse clinical condition. A reduction in diagnostic and treatment procedures was signalled by 95% (n=18) and 81% (n=64) of the indicators reporting on cardiac procedures, respectively. Length of stay decreased in 58% (n=21) of the indicators and acute coronary syndromes treatment times increased in 61% (n=65) of the indicators. Outpatient activity decreased in 94% (n=17) of the indicators related with outpatient care, whereas telehealth utilization increased in 100% (n=6). Outcomes worsened in 40% (n=35) of the indicators, and mortality rates increased in 52% (n=31).ConclusionAll phases of the hospital cardiac care pathway were affected. This information could support the planning of care during the ongoing pandemic and in future events.
Assessing Open Science practices in physical activity behaviour change intervention evaluations
Authors: Norris Emma , Sulevani Isra , Finnerty Ailbhe N. , Castro Oscar 
Published: December 2021

AbstractObjectivesConcerns on the lack of reproducibility and transparency in science have led to a range of research practice reforms, broadly referred to as ‘Open Science’. The extent that physical activity interventions are embedding Open Science practices is currently unknown. In this study, we randomly sampled 100 reports of recent physical activity behaviour change interventions to estimate the prevalence of Open Science practices.MethodsOne hundred reports of randomised controlled trial physical activity behaviour change interventions published between 2018-2021 were identified. Open Science practices were coded in identified reports, including: study pre-registration, protocol sharing, data-, materials- and analysis scripts-sharing, replication of a previous study, open access publication, funding sources and conflict of interest statements. Coding was performed by two independent researchers, with inter-rater reliability calculated using Krippendorff’s alpha.Results78% of the 100 reports provided details of study pre-registration and 41% provided evidence of a published protocol. 4% provided accessible open data, 8% provided open materials and 1% provided open analysis scripts. 73% of reports were published as open access and no studies were described as replication attempts. 93% of reports declared their sources of funding and 88% provided conflicts of interest statements. A Krippendorff’s alpha of 0.73 was obtained across all coding.ConclusionOpen data, materials, analysis and replication attempts are currently rare in physical activity behaviour change intervention reports, whereas funding source and conflict of interest declarations are common. Future physical activity research should increase the reproducibility of their methods and results by incorporating more Open Science practices.
The prostate tissue-based telomere biomarker as a prognostic tool for metastasis and death from prostate cancer after prostatectomy
Authors: Heaphy Christopher M. , Joshu Corinne E. , Barber John R. , Davis Christine , Lu Jiayun , Zarinshenas Reza , Giovannucci Edward , Mucci Lorelei A. , Stampfer Meir J. , Han Misop , De Marzo Angelo M. , Lotan Tamara L. , Platz Elizabeth A. , Meeker Alan K. 
Published: December 2021

ABSTRACTPurposeCurrent biomarkers are inadequate prognostic predictors in localized prostate cancer making treatment decision-making challenging. Previously, we observed that the combination of more variable telomere length among prostate cancer cells and shorter telomere length in prostate cancer-associated stromal cells – the telomere biomarker – is strongly associated with progression to metastasis and prostate cancer death after prostatectomy independent of currently used pathologic indicators.Experimental DesignWe optimized our method allowing for semi-automated telomere length determination in single cells in fixed tissue, and tested the telomere biomarker in tissue microarrays from five cohort studies of men surgically treated for clinically localized disease (N=2,255). We estimated the relative risk (RR) of progression to metastasis (N=311) and prostate cancer death (N=85) using models appropriate to each study’s design adjusting for age, prostatectomy stage, and tumor grade, which then we meta-analyzed using inverse variance weights.ResultsCompared with men who had less variable telomere length among prostate cancer cells and longer telomere length in prostate cancer-associated stromal cells, men with the combination of more variable and shorter telomere length, had 3.76-times the risk of prostate cancer death (95% CI 1.37-10.3; p=0.01) and had 2.23-times the risk of progression to metastasis (95% CI 0.99-5.02, P=0.05). The telomere biomarker was associated with prostate cancer death in men with intermediate risk disease (Grade Groups 2/3: RR=9.18, 95% CI 1.14- 74.0, p=0.037) and with PTEN intact tumors (RR=6.74, 95% CI 1.46-37.6, p=0.015).ConclusionsThe telomere biomarker is robust and associated with poor outcome independent of current pathologic indicators in surgically-treated men.Translational RelevanceCurrent prognostic biomarkers in localized prostate cancer are inadequate imperfect predictors; therefore, new biomarkers are needed to improve the prognostic classification and management of these patients. In a five-cohort study, we confirmed that the tissue-based telomere biomarker – the combination of more variable telomere length among prostate cancer cells and shorter telomere length in prostate cancer-associated stromal cells – was associated with progression to metastasis and prostate cancer death independent of currently used prognostic indicators after prostatectomy for clinically-localized disease. Importantly, the telomere biomarker was associated with poor outcome in men with intermediate risk disease, as well as in men with intact PTEN tumors. Thus, this tissue-based telomere biomarker has the translational potential to improve treatment and surveillance decision-making.
Black-box testing in motor sequence learning
Authors: Maceira-Elvira Pablo , Timmermann Jan E. , Popa Traian , Schmid Anne-Christine , Krakauer John W. , Morishita Takuya , Wessel Maximilian J. , Hummel Friedhelm C. 
Published: December 2021

AbstractDuring learning of novel motor sequences, practice leads to the consolidation of hierarchical structures, namely motor chunks, facilitating the accurate execution of sequences at increasing speeds. Recent studies show that such hierarchical structures are largely represented upstream of the primary motor cortex in the motor network, suggesting their function to be more related to the encoding, storage, and retrieval of sequences rather than their sole execution. We isolated different components of motor skill acquisition related to the consolidation of spatiotemporal features and followed their evolution over training. We found that optimal motor skill acquisition relies on the storage of the spatial features of the sequence in memory, followed by the optimization of its execution and increased execution speeds (i.e., a shift in the speed-accuracy trade-off) early in training, supporting the model proposed by Hikosaka in 1999. Contrasting the dynamics of these components during ageing, we identified less-than-optimal mechanisms in older adults explaining the observed differences in performance. We applied noninvasive brain stimulation in an attempt to support the aging brain to compensate for these deficits. The present study found that anodal direct current stimulation applied over the motor cortex restored the mechanisms involved in the consolidation of spatial features, without directly affecting the speed of execution of the sequence. This led older adults to sharply improve their accuracy, resulting in an earlier yet gradual emergence of motor chunks. The results suggest the early storage of the sequence in memory, largely independent of motor practice, is crucial for an optimal motor acquisition and retrieval of this motor behavior. Nevertheless, the consolidation of optimal temporal patterns, detected as motor chunks at a behavioral level, is not a direct consequence of storing the sequence elements, but rather of motor practice.
MSD2, an apoplastic Mn-SOD, contributes to root skotomorphogenic growth by modulating ROS distribution in Arabidopsis
Authors: Chen Huize , Lee Jinsu , Lee Jung-Min , Han Minsoo , Emonet Aurélia , Lee Jiyoun , Jia Xingtian , Lee Yuree 
Published: December 2021

ABSTRACTReactive oxygen species (ROS) play essential roles as a second messenger in various physiological processes in plants. Due to their oxidative nature, ROS can also be harmful. Thus, the generation and homeostasis of ROS are tightly controlled by multiple enzymes. Membrane-localized NADPH oxidases are well known to generate ROS during developmental and stress responses, but the metabolic pathways of the superoxide (O2·−) generated by them in the apoplast are poorly understood, and the identity of the apoplastic superoxide dismutase (SOD) is unknown in Arabidopsis. Here, we show that a putative manganese SOD, MSD2 is secreted and possesses a SOD activity that can be inhibited by nitration at tyrosine 68. The expression of MSD2 in roots is light condition-dependent, suggesting that MSD2 may act on ROS metabolism in roots during the light-to-dark transition. Root architecture is governed by ROS distribution that exhibits opposite gradient of H2O2 and O2·−, which is indeed altered in etiolated msd2 mutants and accompanied by changes in the onset of differentiation. These results provide a missing link in our understanding of ROS metabolism and suggest that MSD2 plays a role in root skotomorphogenesis by regulating ROS distribution, thereby playing a pivotal role in plant growth and development.
Maternal parity affects Day 8 embryo gene expression in old mares
Authors: Derisoud Emilie , Jouneau Luc , Gourtay Clothilde , Margat Anne , Archilla Catherine , Jaszczyszyn Yan , Legendre Rachel , Daniel Nathalie , Peynot Nathalie , Dahirel Michèle , Briot Laurie , De Geoffroy Frédéric , Duranthon Véronique , Chavatte-Palmer Pascale 
Published: December 2021

AbstractAs sport career is a priority in most of equine breeds, mares are frequently bred for the first time at an advanced age. Both age and first gestation were shown to have a deleterious effect on reproduction outcomes, respectively on fertility and offspring weight but the effect mare’s parity in older mares on embryo quality has never been considered. The aim of this project was to determine the effect of old mare’s nulliparity on gene expression in embryos. Day 8 post ovulation embryos were collected from old (10-16 years old) nulliparous (ON, N=5) or multiparous (OM, N=6) non-nursing Saddlebred mares, inseminated with the semen of one stallion. Pure (TE_part) or inner cell mass enriched (ICMandTE) trophoblast were obtained by embryo bisection and paired end, non-oriented RNA sequencing (Illumina, NextSeq500) was performed on each hemi-embryo. To discriminate gene expression in the ICM from that in the TE, deconvolution (DeMixT R package) was used on the ICMandTE dataset. Differential expression was analyzed (DESeq2) with embryo sex and diameter as cofactors using a false discovery rate <0.05 cutoff. Although the expression of only a few genes was altered by mare’s nulliparity (33 in ICM and 23 in TE), those genes were related to nutrient exchanges and responses to environment signaling, both in ICM and TE, suggesting that the developing environment from these mares are not optimal for embryo growth. In conclusion, being nulliparous and old does not seem to be the perfect match for embryonic development in mares.Summary sentenceMare’s parity in old mares impacts the expression of genes related to development and molecule exchanges in ICM and TE of blastocysts suggesting an adaptation to an altered environment.
A single-cell transcriptomic landscape of innate and adaptive intratumoral immunity in triple negative breast cancer during chemo- and immunotherapies
Authors: Carpen Laura , Falvo Paolo , Orecchioni Stefania , Mitola Giulia , Hillje Roman , Mazzara Saveria , Mancuso Patrizia , Pileri Stefano , Raveane Alessandro , Bertolini Francesco 
Published: December 2021

AbstractBreast cancer (BC) constitutes a major health problem worldwide, making it the most common malignancy in women. Current treatment options for BC depend primarily on histological type, molecular markers, clinical aggressiveness and stage of disease. Immunotherapy, such as anti-PD-1, have shown combinatorial clinical activity with chemotherapy in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) delineating some therapeutic combinations as more effective than others. However, a clear overview of the main immune cell populations involved in these treatments has never been provided.Here, an assessment of the immune landscape in the tumour microenvironment (TME) of two TNBC mouse models (4T1 and EMT6 cell lines) has been performed using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technology. Specifically, immune cells were evaluated in untreated conditions and after being treated with chemotherapy or immunotherapy used as single agents or in combination. A decrease of regulatory T cells, compared to the untreated TME, was found in treatments within vivoefficacy as well as γδ T cells, which have a pro-tumoral activity in mice. Focusing on Cd8 T cells, across all the conditions, a general increase of exhausted-like Cd8 T cells was confirmed in pre-clinical treatments with low efficacy; on the other hand, an opposite trend was found for the proliferative Cd8 T cells. Regarding macrophages, M2-like cells were found enriched in treatments with low efficacy while opposite behaviour was associated with M1-like macrophages. For both cell lines, similar proportions of B cells were detected with an increase of proliferative B cells in treatments that involved cisplatin in combination with anti-PD-1. The fine-scale characterization of the immune TME in this work can lead to new insights on the diagnosis and treatment of TNBC for a possible application at the clinical level.