bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Quality of Life and Sexual Function of Men Who Have Sex with Men Treated for Anal Cancer: A Prospective Trial of a Neglected Population
Authors: Mauro Geovanne Pedro , da Conceição Vasconcelos Karina Gondim Moutinho , Carvalho Heloísa de Andrade 
Published: July 2021

ABSTRACTBackgroundAnal cancer is a rare disease, more prevalent in women. Men who have sex with men (MSM) are a high-risk neglected population.AimThe primary objective was to assess quality of life (QoL) and sexual function (SxF) among MSM treated with radical chemoradiation for anal cancer. Secondary objectives were to assess survivals and to describe the sexual habits of the target population.MethodsProspective single institution trial of MSM who were treated for anal cancer with curative intent between 2015 and 2019. QoL and SxF were the primary end-points and were assessed by validated questionnaires and sexual inventory. Overall survival, locoregional relapse-free, distant metastases free, and colostomy-free survivals were evaluated.OutcomesQuality of life and sexual function.RESULTSNineteen patients were accrued between November 2015 and August 2019. Median age was 59.3 years. Stage III disease was 53.4% and mean tumor size was 5.4 cm. Fifteen (79.0%) patients were living with HIV (PLHIV). Median follow-up was 21.8 months. Mean overall survival, locoregional relapse-free survival, distant metastases-free survival, and colostomy-free survival were, respectively, 20.8, 17.2, 19.8 and 17.4 months. No median value was reached. QoL followed a trend among questionnaires with significantly worsened values by the end of treatment and a raise to maximum value by three months after treatment, followed by a stabilization reached at 12 months after treatment. IIEF questionnaire showed moderate erectile dysfunction among the population. Intercourse frequency followed QoL measures.Clinical ImplicationsIn a MSM population with anal canal cancer, QoL and SxF followed the same pattern up to one year after treatment. Most patients had their SxF compromised during follow-up as shown by IIEF levels and sexual inventory.Strengths and LimitationsIt is a single institution prospective trial with a limited sample size. Nevertheless, there are no studies addressing this minority population, quality of life or otherwise, making it unique and a special contribution for the literature.CONCLUSIONAnal cancer and its treatment represent a burden to MSM regarding QoL and SxF.
Association Between Air Pollution and COVID‐19 Pandemic: An Investigation in Mumbai, India
Authors: Chattopadhyay Aparajita , Shaw Subhojit 
Published: July 2021

AbstractSpatial hot spots of COVID‐19 infections and fatalities are observed at places exposed to high levels of air pollution across many countries. This study empirically investigates the relationship between exposure to air pollutants that is, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter (SO2, NO2, and PM10) and COVID‐19 infection at the smallest administrative level (ward) of Mumbai City in India. The paper explores two hypotheses: COVID‐19 infection is associated with air pollution; the pollutants act as determinants of COVID‐19 deaths. Kriging is used to assess the spatial variations of air quality using pollution data, while information on COVID‐19 are retrieved from the database of Mumbai municipality. Annual average of PM10 in Mumbai over the past 3 years is much higher than the WHO specified standard across all wards; further, suburbs are more exposed to SO2, and NO2 pollution. Bivariate local indicator of spatial autocorrelation finds significant positive relation between pollution and COVID‐19 infected cases in certain suburban wards. Spatial Auto Regressive models suggest that COVID‐19 death in Mumbai is distinctly associated with higher exposure to NO2, population density and number of waste water drains. If specific pollutants along with other factors play considerable role in COVID‐19 infection, it has strong implications for any mitigation strategy development with an objective to curtail the spreading of the respiratory disease. These findings, first of its kind in India, could prove to be significant pointers toward disease alleviation and better urban living.
Cumulus Cloud and Drizzle Microphysics Relationships With Complete CCN Spectra
Authors: Hudson James G. , Noble Stephen 
Published: July 2021

AbstractComparisons of high‐resolution extended range CCN spectra measured at 100 m altitude with cloud and drizzle microphysics in the Rain in Cumulus over the Ocean (RICO) aircraft field project are presented. CCN concentrations, NCCN, active at supersaturations, S, >0.1% showed positive relationships with cloud droplet concentrations, Nc, measured at intermediate (606–976 m) and very high altitudes (1,763–3,699 m). These correlation coefficients, R, progressively increased with S while the two‐tailed probabilities, P2, progressively decreased with S to < 10−6 at 1.6%S. More important were the positive relationships between NCCN active at S < 0.1% and drizzle drop concentrations, Nd, at high (977–1,662 m), very high and high‐very high altitudes combined (977–3,699 m). All of these relationships were consistent for eight different cloud liquid water content, Lc, thresholds (for Nc) and Lc bins (for Nd) ranging from 0.0002 to 0.3 g/m3. Negative relationships between CCN modality and low altitude (76–475 m) cloudiness coupled with no relationship of NCCN active at any S with Nc of these low clouds indicated a cloud effect on ambient aerosol. This is a demonstration of clouds causing bimodal aerosol.
Angiogenesis and immune checkpoint dual blockade in combination with radiotherapy for treatment of solid cancers: opportunities and challenges
Authors: Zhu Lingling , Yu Xianzhe , Wang Li , Liu Jiewei , Qu Zihan , Zhang Honge , Li Lu , Chen Jiang , Zhou Qinghua 
Published: July 2021

AbstractSeveral immune checkpoint blockades (ICBs) capable of overcoming the immunosuppressive roles of the tumor immune microenvironment have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as front-line treatments of various tumor types. However, due to the considerable heterogeneity of solid tumor cells, inhibiting one target will only influence a portion of the tumor cells. One way to enhance the tumor-killing efficiency is to develop a multiagent therapeutic strategy targeting different aspects of tumor biology and the microenvironment to provide the maximal clinical benefit for patients with late-stage disease. One such strategy is the administration of anti-PD1, an ICB, in combination with the humanized monoclonal antibody bevacizumab, an anti-angiogenic therapy, to patients with recurrent/metastatic malignancies, including hepatocellular carcinoma, metastatic renal cell carcinoma, non-small cell lung cancer, and uterine cancer. Radiotherapy (RT), a critical component of solid cancer management, has the capacity to prime the immune system for an adaptive antitumor response. Here, we present an overview of the most recent published data in preclinical and clinical studies elucidating that RT could further potentiate the antitumor effects of immune checkpoint and angiogenesis dual blockade. In addition, we explore opportunities of triple combinational treatment, as well as discuss the challenges of validating biomarkers and the management of associated toxicity.
A genome-wide association study of the longitudinal course of executive functions
Authors: Wendel Bernadette , Papiol Sergi , Andlauer Till F. M. , Zimmermann Jörg , Wiltfang Jens , Spitzer Carsten , Senner Fanny , Schulte Eva C. , Schmauß Max , Schaupp Sabrina K. , Repple Jonathan , Reininghaus Eva , Reimer Jens , Reich-Erkelenz Daniela , Opel Nils , Nenadić Igor , Meinert Susanne , Konrad Carsten , Klöhn-Saghatolislam Farahnaz , Kircher Tilo , Kalman Janos L. , Juckel Georg , Jansen Andreas , Jäger Markus , Heilbronner Maria , von Hagen Martin , Gade Katrin , Figge Christian , Fallgatter Andreas J. , Dietrich Detlef E. , Dannlowski Udo , Comes Ashley L. , Budde Monika , Baune Bernhard T. , Arolt Volker , Anghelescu Ion-George , Anderson-Schmidt Heike , Adorjan Kristina , Falkai Peter , Schulze Thomas G. , Bickeböller Heike , Heilbronner Urs 
Published: July 2021

AbstractExecutive functions are metacognitive capabilities that control and coordinate mental processes. In the transdiagnostic PsyCourse Study, comprising patients of the affective-to-psychotic spectrum and controls, we investigated the genetic basis of the time course of two core executive subfunctions: set-shifting (Trail Making Test, part B (TMT-B)) and updating (Verbal Digit Span backwards) in 1338 genotyped individuals. Time course was assessed with four measurement points, each 6 months apart. Compared to the initial assessment, executive performance improved across diagnostic groups. We performed a genome-wide association study to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with performance change over time by testing for SNP-by-time interactions using linear mixed models. We identified nine genome-wide significant SNPs for TMT-B in strong linkage disequilibrium with each other on chromosome 5. These were associated with decreased performance on the continuous TMT-B score across time. Variant rs150547358 had the lowest P value = 7.2 × 10−10 with effect estimate beta = 1.16 (95% c.i.: 1.11, 1.22). Implementing data of the FOR2107 consortium (1795 individuals), we replicated these findings for the SNP rs150547358 (P value = 0.015), analyzing the difference of the two available measurement points two years apart. In the replication study, rs150547358 exhibited a similar effect estimate beta = 0.85 (95% c.i.: 0.74, 0.97). Our study demonstrates that longitudinally measured phenotypes have the potential to unmask novel associations, adding time as a dimension to the effects of genomics.
Nasal oxytocin for the treatment of psychiatric disorders and pain: achieving meaningful brain concentrations
Authors: Yeomans David C. , Hanson Leah R. , Carson Dean S. , Tunstall Brendan J. , Lee Mary R. , Tzabazis Alexander Z. , Jacobs Daniel , Frey William H. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThere is evidence of the therapeutic potential of intranasal oxytocin for the treatment of pain and various psychiatric disorders, however, there is scant evidence that oxytocin reaches the brain. We quantified the concentration and distribution pattern of [125I]-radiolabeled oxytocin in the brains and peripheral tissues of rats after intranasal delivery using gamma counting and autoradiography, respectively. Radiolabel was detected in high concentrations in the trigeminal and olfactory nerves as well as in brain regions along their trajectories. Considerable concentrations were observed in the blood, however, relatively low levels of radiolabel were measured in peripheral tissues. The addition of a mucoadhesive did not enhance brain concentrations. These results provide support for intranasal OT reaching the brain via the olfactory and trigeminal neural pathways. These findings will inform the design and interpretation of clinical studies with intranasal oxytocin.
Insights into homeobox B9: a propeller for metastasis in dormant prostate cancer progenitor cells
Authors: Sui Yi , Hu Wei , Zhang Wei , Li Dejian , Zhu Hongbo , You Qinghua , Zhu Rujian , Yi Qingtong , Tang Tao , Gao Lili , Zhu Shengjuan , Yang Tao 
Published: July 2021

Abstract
Background
Metastasis is the major cause of treatment failure and cancer-related deaths in prostate cancer (PCa) patients. Our previous study demonstrated that a CD44+ subpopulation isolated from PCa cells or tumours possesses both stem cell properties and metastatic potential, serving as metastatic prostate cancer stem cells (mPCSCs) in PCa metastasis. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown.

Methods
In this study, we established PCa models via the orthotopic and subcutaneous implantation of different human PCa cancer cell lines, and compared the metastatic efficacy, after which process function analysis of target genes was pinpointed.

Results
Several novel differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between orthotopic and ectopic tumours were identified. Among them, human homeobox B9 (HOXB9) transcription factor was found to be essential for PCa metastasis, as evidenced by the diminished number of lung metastatic foci derived from orthotopic implantation with HOXB9-deficient CWR22 cells, compared with the control. In addition, HOXB9 protein expression was upregulated in PCa tissues, compared with paracancer and benign prostate hyperplasia tissues. It was also positively correlated with Gleason scores. Gain- and loss-of-function assays showed that HOXB9 altered the expression of various tumour metastasis- and cancer stem cell (CSC) growth-related genes in a transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ)-dependent manner. Moreover, HOXB9 was overexpressed in an ALDH+CD44+CXCR4+CD24+ subpopulation of PCa cells that exhibited enhanced TGFβ-dependent tumorigenic and metastatic abilities, compared with other isogenic PCa cells. This suggests that HOXB9 may contribute to PCa tumorigenesis and metastasis via TGFβ signalling. Of note, ALDH+CD44+CXCR4+CD24+-PCa cells exhibited resistance to castration and antiandrogen therapy and were present in human PCa tissues.

Conclusion
Taken together, our study identified HOXB9 as a critical regulator of metastatic mPCSC behaviour. This occurs through altering the expression of a panel of CSC growth- and invasion/metastasis-related genes via TGFβ signalling. Thus, targeting HOXB9 is a potential novel therapeutic PCa treatment strategy.
Absence of Bim sensitizes mice to experimental Trypanosoma cruzi infection
Authors: Hernández-Torres Marcela , Silva do Nascimento Rogério , Rebouças Monica Cardozo , Cassado Alexandra , Matteucci Kely Catarine , D’Império-Lima Maria Regina , Vasconcelos José Ronnie C. , Bortoluci Karina R. , Alvarez José Maria , Amarante-Mendes Gustavo P. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractChagas disease is a life-threatening disorder caused by the protozoan parasiteTrypanosoma cruzi. Parasite-specific antibodies, CD8+T cells, as well as IFN-γ and nitric oxide (NO) are key elements of the adaptive and innate immunity against the extracellular and intracellular forms of the parasite. Bim is a potent pro-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family implicated in different aspects of the immune regulation, such as negative selection of self-reactive thymocytes and elimination of antigen-specific T cells at the end of an immune response. Interestingly, the role of Bim during infections remains largely unidentified. To explore the role of Bim in Chagas disease, we infected WT,Bim+/−,Bim−/−mice with trypomastigotes forms of the Y strain ofT. cruzi. Strikingly, our data revealed thatBim−/−mice exhibit a delay in the development of parasitemia followed by a deficiency in the control of parasite load in the bloodstream and a decreased survival compared to WT andBim+/−mice. At the peak of parasitemia, peritoneal macrophages ofBim−/−mice exhibit decreased NO production, which correlated with a decrease in the pro-inflammatory Small Peritoneal Macrophage (SPM) subset. A similar reduction in NO secretion, as well as in the pro-inflammatory cytokines IFN-γ and IL-6, was also observed inBim−/−splenocytes. Moreover, an impaired anti-T. cruziCD8+T-cell response was found inBim−/−mice at this time point. Taken together, our results suggest that these alterations may contribute to the establishment of a delayed yet enlarged parasitic load observed at day 9 after infection ofBim−/−mice and place Bim as an important protein in the control ofT. cruziinfections.
Compound NSC84167 selectively targets NRF2-activated pancreatic cancer by inhibiting asparagine synthesis pathway
Authors: Dai Bingbing , Augustine Jithesh J. , Kang Ya’an , Roife David , Li Xinqun , Deng Jenying , Tan Lin , Rusling Leona A. , Weinstein John N. , Lorenzi Philip L. , Kim Michael P. , Fleming Jason B. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractNuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) is aberrantly activated in about 93% of pancreatic cancers. Activated NRF2 regulates multiple downstream molecules involved in cancer cell metabolic reprogramming, translational control, and treatment resistance; however, targeting NRF2 for pancreatic cancer therapy remains largely unexplored. In this study, we used the online computational tool CellMinerTM to explore the NCI-60 drug databases for compounds with anticancer activities correlating most closely with the mRNA expression of NQO1, a marker for NRF2 pathway activity. Among the >100,000 compounds analyzed, NSC84167, termed herein as NRF2 synthetic lethality compound-01 (NSLC01), was one of the top hits (r = 0.71, P < 0.001) and selected for functional characterization. NSLC01 selectively inhibited the viabilities of four out of seven conventional pancreatic cancer cell lines and induced dramatic apoptosis in the cells with high NRF2 activation. The selective anticancer activity of NSLC01 was further validated with a panel of nine low-passage pancreatic patient-derived cell lines, and a significant reverse correlation between log(IC50) of NSLC01 and NQO1 expression was confirmed (r = −0.5563, P = 0.024). Notably, screening of a panel of nine patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) revealed six PDXs with high NQO1/NRF2 activation, and NSLC01 dramatically inhibited the viabilities and induced apoptosis in ex vivo cultures of PDX tumors. Consistent with the ex vivo results, NSLC01 inhibited the tumor growth of two NRF2-activated PDX models in vivo (P < 0.01, n = 7–8) but had no effects on the NRF2-low counterpart. To characterize the mechanism of action, we employed a metabolomic isotope tracer assay that demonstrated that NSLC01-mediated inhibition of de novo synthesis of multiple amino acids, including asparagine and methionine. Importantly, we further found that NSLC01 suppresses the eEF2K/eEF2 translation elongation cascade and protein translation of asparagine synthetase. In summary, this study identified a novel compound that selectively targets protein translation and induces synthetic lethal effects in NRF2-activated pancreatic cancers.
Biorenewable carbon-supported Ru catalyst for N-alkylation of amines with alcohols and selective hydrogenation of nitroarenes
Authors: Goyal Vishakha , Sarki Naina , Poddar Mukesh Kumar , Narani Anand , Tripathi Deependra , Ray Anjan , Natte Kishore 
Published: July 2021

A renewable carbon-supported Ru catalyst (Ru/PNC-700) facilely prepared via simple impregnation followed by the pyrolysis process for N-alkylation of anilines with benzyl alcohol and chemoselective hydrogenation of nitroarenes.
Molecular functionalization of 2D materials: from atomically planar 2D architectures to off-plane 3D functional materials
Authors: Brill Adam R. , Koren Elad , de Ruiter Graham 
Published: July 2021

The functionalization of 2D materials (2DMs) holds great promise future applications. Here we review the various ways in which 2DMs can be functionalized and how these methodologies influence the physicochemical properties of resulting 2DM composites.
Distributed dynamic adaptive‐neighbour selection strategy under event‐trigger communication
Authors: Deng ShuWei , Zhang Chao , Mao Yao 
Published: July 2021

AbstractIn wireless sensor networks, dynamic environmental changes may lead to the distribution of some sensors becoming very dense, which leads to the waste of communication resources in distributed estimation. In this paper, it is proposed that Event‐triggered distributed dynamic adaptive‐neighbour selection LMS (ET‐dyANDLMS) algorithm can effectively solve the problems mentioned above. On the one hand, the network communication resources are reduced by the adaptive‐neighbour selection. On the other hand, the network data redundancy is reduced by the event‐trigger mechanism. From a theoretical point of view, the algorithm converges stably in mean meaning and mean square meaning, and the communication cost is reduced compared with other distributed algorithms. The theoretical analysis results verified by experimental simulation demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Minimum achievable rate maximised resource allocation for relay‐assisted massive MIMO systems with SWIPT
Authors: Sun Wenfeng , Liu Chen , Qian Mujun , Chen Yan , Xu Shu 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThis paper considers a relay‐assisted massive multiple‐input multiple‐output (MIMO) downlink system in which a base station (BS) communicates with all terminals via a relay node enabled simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT). Both time‐switching (TS) and energy‐splitting (PS) protocols are respectively considered at the relay node for coordinating energy harvesting and information decoding. The quality‐of‐service (QoS) fairness problem among terminals is investigated in the considered systems. In detail, the power allocation coefficients and energy harvesting time duration for TS based SWIPT, and the power allocation coefficients and PS ratio for PS based SWIPT are jointly optimised, aiming at seeking to maximise the minimum achievable rate over all terminals. As the formulated problems are non‐convex and non‐linear, and hard to solve directly, suboptimal heuristic algorithms are proposed for solving them. Additionally, the convergence and complexity of the proposed algorithms are also analysed. Finally, the performance of the proposed algorithms is demonstrated by extensive computer simulations. Results manifest that the proposed algorithms can provide uniformly great QoS for every terminal by resource allocation.
Mitigation of subsynchronous control interaction in DFIGs using active disturbance rejection control
Authors: Zheng Chaohang , Li Hua 
Published: July 2021

AbstractRecently, a new type of subsynchronous oscillation (SSO) has occurred in doubly‐fed induction generator (DFIG)‐based wind farms. This oscillation is also called the subsynchronous control interaction (SSCI), which is mainly caused by the interaction between the transmission series compensation and the DFIG controller. Therefore, the oscillation frequency of the SSCI is susceptibly impacted by DFIG operating conditions, which presents major challenges to conventional mitigation strategies. To solve this problem, a grid‐connected series‐compensated DFIG‐based wind farm is established, and the formation process of the SSCI is analysed. The strategy of active disturbance rejection control (ADRC), which can automatically estimate and compensate for the total disturbance of the system in real‐time, is introduced into the rotor‐side converter to mitigate the SSCI in the DFIG. ADRC is designed based on dynamic parameter tuning and chaos optimization. Finally, a detailed model‐based time‐domain simulation is conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed optimized ADRC (O‐ADRC) compared to conventional virtual impedance and ADRC. The simulation results show that O‐ADRC can effectively mitigate the SSCI under different operating conditions and provide sufficient damping for the DFIG‐based wind farms.
High‐gain omnidirectional patch antenna for conformal application based on near‐zero‐index metamaterials
Authors: Zhang Tianqiang , Zhao Jing , Guo Yao , Zhao Xiaopeng 
Published: July 2021

AbstractAchieving a high‐gain omnidirectional patch antenna with low profile is a challenging task. On the basis of improving antennas by metamaterials, a broadband near‐zero‐index metamaterial (NZIM) is designed to enhance the horizontal gain of the omnidirectional patch antenna. The zero‐index metamaterial is loaded on the substrate of three antennas with different working bands (4.99–5.50 GHz). The results show that the horizontal gain of antennas is enhanced by more than 0.6 dB at various frequencies. The roundness of antennas is also optimised. Therefore, using NZIM can increase the horizontal gain with a low profile (λ/30) structure size. The low profile, high‐gain omnidirectional patch antenna has great potential in the conformal field.