bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Barriers and Support-System while Considering Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT): A Qualitative Study of Pre-HSCT Acute Leukemia Patients from a Standalone Transplant Laboratory in India
Authors: Solanki Hina , Tiwari Aseem K. , Vashisht Naveen , Raina Vimarsh , Sharma Girish 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
Introduction Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is the definite treatment for acute leukemia but considering HSCT is challenging for the patients. There are many studies that have described the patients’ experience after HSCT but very few studies have reported their experience before going for HSCT and there is no published report in India on patients’ experience before HSCT.
Objective We conducted a qualitative study to understand barriers, and support-system while considering HSCT and the chances of getting matched unrelated donor (MUD) for these patients.
Materials and Methods The present study was a qualitative study. Demographic details of 514 patients who consented for the study were noted and the patients and their families were interviewed using a semistructured interview booklet before HSCT. The interview sessions were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed for emerging themes. The study data were analyzed using QDA Miner Lite 4.0 software (Provalis Research, Montreal, Canada). Descriptive statistics such as frequency and percentage were used. The chances of getting a human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched donor were also computed by “HLA-matching software.”
Results Acute myeloid leukemia (64.01%) was commoner than acute lymphoid leukemia (35.99%) with male: female ratio as 1.98:1. The study showed nine themes as barriers and six themes emerged in regard to the support system for HSCT decision making. The biggest barriers identified among these patients pre-HSCT were related to cost, probability of “success of transplant,” and probable “quality of life.” The family support was the biggest support system variable followed by “treating doctor.” The chances of getting a MUD for these patients were 13.22% and 5.44% in global and Indian data pool, respectively.
Conclusion Deciding upon HSCT can be challenging for patients and understanding of barriers and support-system variables among these patients would provide important insights and help design better counseling techniques for such patients of HSCT and future studies in this context.
Nanotechnology in Oral Cancer Prevention and Therapeutics: A Literature Review
Authors: Kumar Ritwika , Jha Kunal , Barman Diplina 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe concept of nanotechnology revolves around the delivery of nano particle incorporated drugs which are originally engineered technology. Nanoparticles are used for targeted delivery and controlled release of a curative agents. Nanotechnology is gaining importance and is likely to be routine element of regular dental clinics. Nanomaterials are being incorporated in toothpastes, mouth rinses for improved efficiencies. It has found its use in restorative dental materials, anti-cariogenic enamel surface polishing agents, implant materials, etc. Few nanoparticles possess antimicrobial propertiesand intercepts bacterial activity. Nano dentistry is cost-effectiveness and timesaving compared to other techniques. Nano particles have also been beneficial to annihilate drug resistance, prevention of metastasis or lesion recurrence by earmarking malignant stem cells. Remarkable achievements were made in using nanoparticles for detecting and treating multiple variety of malignancies including colon cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, head and neck cancer, etc. This review was made to highlight the various clinical applications of nanotechnology in the diagnosis and curative care for oral cancer.
The Effect of WeChat on Parental Care Burden, Anxiety, and Depression in Children after CHD Surgery during COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Zhang Qi-Liang , Liu Jian-Feng , Xie Wen-Peng , Cao Hua , Chen Qiang 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
Objectives This study aimed to explore the effect of applying WeChat in the follow-up and health education of children after congenital heart disease (CHD) surgery during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic.
Methods Data from 135 children were retrospectively analyzed. The care burden, anxiety, depression, and satisfaction of the parents of patients at home were analyzed and compared.
Results One month after discharge, the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), and Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire-18 scores of the WeChat follow-up group were significantly better than those of the outpatient follow-up group (p < 0.05). Compared with the discharge time, the SAS, SDS, and ZBI scores were significantly improved in the WeChat follow-up group but not in the outpatient follow-up group (p < 0.05).
Conclusion During the COVID-19 epidemic, the application of WeChat to the follow-up management of children after CHD surgery can effectively reduce care burden and relieve anxiety and depression in parents at home. It can also improve the satisfaction of parents with medical treatment.
Deep Vein Thrombosis in a Patient of Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis
Authors: Chatterjee Rupak , Sinha Sumanta , Sarkar Kumkum , Gonjhu Debananda , Pal Sekhar , Pramanik Netai 
Published: August 2021

AbstractAmong the various complications reported to be caused by tuberculosis (TB), thrombogenic potential is a rare entity. Here, we report a case of colonic tuberculosis in a 30-year-old male who developed left upper limb deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Ruling out other possible causes of DVT and improvement of the affected limb with antitubercular drugs led to conclusion that DVT was most probably due to TB.
Use of Thromboelastography Platelet Mapping for Assessment of Individual Platelet Response Secondary to Oral Antiplatelet Therapy after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: An Attempt to Start Personalized Antiplatelet Therapy in India
Authors: Datta Suvro Sankha , De Dibyendu , Muslim Nadeem Afroz 
Published: August 2021

AbstractHigh on-treatment platelet reactivity (HPR) with P2Y12 receptor antagonists in patients treated with dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) is strongly associated with adverse ischemic events after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). This prospective study was conducted to assess individual platelet response and HPR to antiplatelet medications in post-PCI cases by thromboelastography platelet mapping (TEG-PM). Total 82 patients who were on aspirin and on either clopidogrel, prasugrel, or ticagrelor were evaluated. The percentage of platelet inhibition to arachidonic acid (AA) and adenosine diphosphate (ADP) was calculated by [100-{(MA ADP/AA–MA Fibrin) / (MA Thrombin–MA Fibrin) × 100}], taking 50% response as cut-off for HPR. HPR to clopidogrel and prasugrel was 14.29 and 12.5%, respectively. No HPR was detected to aspirin and ticagrelor. The mean percentage of platelet inhibition was significantly higher in patients with ticagrelor 82.99, 95% confidence interval (CI) of [77.3, 88.7] as compared with clopidogrel 72.21, 95% CI of [65.3, 79.1] and prasugrel 64.2, 95% CI of [52.5, 75.9] (p-value of 0.041 and 0.003, respectively). Aspirin along with ticagrelor is associated with a higher mean percentage of platelet inhibition, and lower HPR as compared with the usage of aspirin combined with clopidogrel or prasugrel. Additionally, it might also be concluded that TEG-PM could be used effectively to measure the individual platelet functions which would make oral antiplatelet therapy more personalized for cardiac patients.
Gelatin methacryloyl is a slow degrading material allowing vascularization and long-term use in vivo
Authors: Heltmann-Meyer Stefanie , Steiner Dominik , Müller Claudia , Schneidereit Dominik , Friedrich Oliver , Salehi Sahar , Engel Felix B , Arkudas Andreas , Horch Raymund E 
Published: August 2021

Abstract

In situ tissue engineering is an emerging field aiming at the generation of ready-to-use three-dimensional tissues. One solution to supply a proper vascularization of larger tissues to provide oxygen and nutrients is the arteriovenous loop (AVL) model. However, for this model, suitable scaffold materials are needed that are biocompatible/non-immunogenic, slowly degradable, and allow vascularization. Here, we investigate the suitability of the known gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA)-based hydrogel for in-situ tissue engineering utilizing the AVL model. Rat AVLs are embedded by two layers of GelMA hydrogel in an inert PTFE chamber and implanted in the groin. Constructs were explanted after 2 or 4 weeks and analyzed. For this purpose, gross morphological, histological, and multiphoton microscopic analysis were performed. Immune response was analyzed based on anti-CD68 and anti-CD163 staining of immune cells. The occurrence of matrix degradation was assayed by anti-MMP3 staining. Vascularization was analyzed by anti-α-smooth muscle actin staining, multiphoton microscopy, as well as expression analysis of 53 angiogenesis-related proteins utilizing a proteome profiler angiogenesis array kit. Here we show that GelMA hydrogels are stable for at least 4 weeks in the rat AVL model. Furthermore, our data indicate that GelMA hydrogels are biocompatible. Finally, we provide evidence that GelMA hydrogels in the AVL model allow connective tissue formation, as well as vascularization, introducing multiphoton microscopy as a new methodology to visualize neovessel formation originating from the AVL. GelMA is a suitable material for in situ and in vivo TE in the AVL model.
Effect of heat input on microstructure and mechanical properties of GH159 and GH4169 dissimilar joints by laser beam welding
Authors: Ran Qian , Xiang Song , Tan Yuanbiao , Hu Shuang 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
Co-based superalloy GH159 and Ni-based superalloy GH4169 have been successfully joined by laser beam welding and the effect of heat input on microstructure and properties of dissimilar joints were investigated systematically. The results showed that weld seams exhibited a nail shape and full penetration was attained at all dissimilar joints. Increasing grain size towards the fusion zone (FZ) were observed in the heat affected zone (HAZ) on the GH159 side while an increasing dissolution of γ′ and γ′ towards the FZ was attained at the HAZ on the GH4169 side. These resulted in decreasing microhardness towards FZ. Tensile failure was found in the FZ with the lowest microhardness. Meanwhile, the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of the dissimilar joints increased with the decreasing of heat input. The high UTS of dissimilar joint with low heat input can be ascribed to the lower volume fraction of the Laves phase and the smaller dendrite arm spacing.
A new formulation of gradient boosting
Authors: Wozniakowski Alex , Thompson Jayne , Gu Mile , Binder Felix C 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
In the setting of regression, the standard formulation of gradient boosting generates a sequence of improvements to a constant model. In this paper, we reformulate gradient boosting such that it is able to generate a sequence of improvements to a nonconstant model, which may contain prior knowledge or physical insight about the data generating process. Moreover, we introduce a simple variant of multi-target stacking that extends our approach to the setting of multi-target regression. An experiment on a real-world superconducting quantum device calibration dataset demonstrates that our approach outperforms the state-of-the-art calibration model even though it only receives a paucity of training examples. Further, it significantly outperforms a well-known gradient boosting algorithm, known as LightGBM, as well as an entirely data-driven reimplementation of the calibration model, which suggests the viability of our approach.
Mixture Analysis of Associations between Occupational Exposure to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Sperm Oxidative DNA Damage
Authors: Anna Jeng Hueiwang , Sikdar Sinjini , Pan Chih-Hong , Chang-Chien Guo-Ping 
Published: August 2021

AbstractObjectiveThis study aimed to determine (i) associations between levels of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) mixture with 16 targeted PAH compounds in the personal breathing zone area and sperm oxidative DNA damage, (ii) associations between levels of individual PAH compounds and sperm oxidative DNA damage, (iii) oxidative stress as the mode of action for the genotoxic effects on sperm, and (iv) any dose–response relationship between exposure to the PAH mixture and/or individual PAH compounds and sperm oxidative DNA damage.MethodsSixteen targeted PAH compounds in the personal breathing zone area of 38 coke-oven workers and 24 control subjects were quantified using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Sperm oxidative damage and status were evaluated by measuring levels of sperm 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanie (8-oxodGuo), seminal malondialdehyde (MDA) and seminal reactive oxygen species (ROS). Bayesian kernel machine regression with hierarchical variable selection process was employed to determine associations of the PAH mixture and the biomarkers of sperm oxidative damage. A novel grouping approach needed for the hierarchical variable selection process was developed based on PAH bay region and molecular weight.ResultsThe PAH mixture exhibited a positive trend with increased sperm 8-oxodGuo levels at their lower percentiles (25th–50th). The exposure of the PAH mixture was associated with increased MDA levels in sperm. Bay and bay-like regions of the PAH mixture were the most important group for estimating the associations between the PAH mixture and sperm oxidative stress status. Benzo[a]anthracene was the main individual PAH compound that was associated with increased MDA levels.ConclusionSperm oxidative DNA damage induced by occupational exposure to the PAH mixture had a suggestive association with increased MDA levels in coke-oven workers. Finally, the study identified that the individual PAH compound, benzo[a]anthracene, was the primary driver for the suggestive association between the PAH mixture and sperm oxidative damage.
Multi-omics data integration by generative adversarial network
Authors: Ahmed Khandakar Tanvir , Sun Jiao , Cheng Sze , Yong Jeongsik , Zhang Wei 
Published: August 2021

AbstractMotivationAccurate disease phenotype prediction plays an important role in the treatment of heterogeneous diseases like cancer in the era of precision medicine. With the advent of high throughput technologies, more comprehensive multi-omics data is now available that can effectively link the genotype to phenotype. However, the interactive relation of multi-omics datasets makes it particularly challenging to incorporate different biological layers to discover the coherent biological signatures and predict phenotypic outcomes. In this study, we introduce omicsGAN, a generative adversarial network model to integrate two omics data and their interaction network. The model captures information from the interaction network as well as the two omics datasets and fuse them to generate synthetic data with better predictive signals.ResultsLarge-scale experiments on The Cancer Genome Atlas breast cancer, lung cancer and ovarian cancer datasets validate that (i) the model can effectively integrate two omics data (e.g. mRNA and microRNA expression data) and their interaction network (e.g. microRNA-mRNA interaction network). The synthetic omics data generated by the proposed model has a better performance on cancer outcome classification and patients survival prediction compared to original omics datasets. (ii) The integrity of the interaction network plays a vital role in the generation of synthetic data with higher predictive quality. Using a random interaction network does not allow the framework to learn meaningful information from the omics datasets; therefore, results in synthetic data with weaker predictive signals.Availability and implementationSource code is available at: https://github.com/CompbioLabUCF/omicsGAN.Supplementary informationSupplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Immunoresponsive gene 1 modulates the severity of brain injury in cerebral ischaemia
Authors: Kuo Ping-Chang , Weng Wen-Tsan , Scofield Barbara A , Furnas Destin , Paraiso Hallel C , Yu I-Chen , Yen Jui-Hung 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
Inflammatory stimuli induce immunoresponsive gene 1 expression that in turn catalyses the production of itaconate through diverting cis-aconitate away from the tricarboxylic acid cycle. The immunoregulatory effect of the immunoresponsive gene 1/itaconate axis has been recently documented in lipopolysaccharide-activated mouse and human macrophages. In addition, dimethyl itaconate, an itaconate derivative, was reported to ameliorate disease severity in the animal models of psoriasis and multiple sclerosis. Currently, whether immunoresponsive gene 1/itaconate axis exerts a modulatory effect in ischaemic stroke remains unexplored. In this study, we investigated whether immunoresponsive gene 1 plays a role in modulating ischaemic brain injury. In addition, the molecular mechanism underlying the protective effects of immunoresponsive gene 1 in ischaemic stroke was elucidated. Our results showed that immunoresponsive gene 1 was highly induced in the ischaemic brain following ischaemic injury. Interestingly, we found that IRG1−/− stroke animals exhibited exacerbated brain injury, displayed with enlarged cerebral infarct, compared to wild-type stroke controls. Furthermore, IRG1−/− stroke animals presented aggravated blood–brain barrier disruption, associated with augmented Evans blue leakage and increased immune cell infiltrates in the ischaemic brain. Moreover, IRG1−/− stroke animals displayed elevated microglia activation, demonstrated with increased CD68, CD86 and Iba1 expression. Further analysis revealed that immunoresponsive gene 1 was induced in microglia after ischaemic stroke, and deficiency in immunoresponsive gene 1 resulted in repressed microglial heme oxygenase-1 expression and exacerbated ischaemic brain injury. Notably, the administration of dimethyl itaconate to compensate for the deficiency of immunoresponsive gene 1/itaconate axis led to enhanced microglial heme oxygenase-1 expression, alleviated ischaemic brain injury, improved motor function and decreased mortality in IRG1−/− stroke animals. In summary, we demonstrate for the first time that the induction of immunoresponsive gene 1 in microglia following ischaemic stroke serves as an endogenous protective mechanism to restrain brain injury through heme oxygenase-1 up-regulation. Thus, our findings suggest that targeting immunoresponsive gene 1 may represent a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of ischaemic stroke.
Decoding China’s Perspectives on Cyber Warfare
Authors: Jiang Chaoyi 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
This article examines China’s concerns over the adequacy of existing jus ad bellum and jus in bello to address cyber warfare, particularly the rules on cyberattacks governed by the jus in bello, dual-use infrastructure and war-sustaining facilities, the proportionality of cyberattacks against key infrastructures and the targetability of certain categories of civilians. This article argues that China’s resistance to applying some rules of the jus in bello to cyberspace is in line with the “wait and see” approach of most States. But there are two distinctive objectives behind this generalized stance: one is to protect its domestic regulatory power over cyberspace from being bound by disfavoured emerging and existing law, and the other is to build up consensus for a treaty regulating uses of cyber force under the United Nations framework.
Exact and approximate role assignment for multi-layer networks
Authors: Petrov Tatjana , Tognazzi Stefano 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
The concept of role equivalence has been applied in social network analysis for decades. Early definitions recognized two social actors as role equivalent, if they have identical relationships to the same other actors. Although this rather strong equivalence requirement has been relaxed in different ways, it is often challenging to detect interesting, non-trivial role equivalences, especially for social networks derived from empirical data. Multi-layer networks (MLNs) are increasingly gaining popularity for modelling collective adaptive systems, for example, engineered cyber-physical systems or animal collectives. Multiplex networks, a special case of MLNs, transparently and compactly describe such complex interactions (social, biological, transportation), where nodes can be connected by links of different types. In this work, we first propose a novel notion of exact and approximate role equivalence for multiplex MLNs. Then, we implement and experimentally evaluate the algorithm on a suite of real-world case studies. Results demonstrate that our notion of approximate role assignment not only obtains non-trivial partitions over nodes and layers as well, but it provides a fine-grained hierarchy of role equivalences, which is impossible to obtain by (combining) the existing role detection techniques. We demonstrate the latter by interpreting in detail the case study of Florence families, a classical benchmark from literature.
Urofaecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations in African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) chick populations experiencing different levels of human disturbance
Authors: Scheun Juan , Miller Rebecca J , Ganswindt Andre , Waller Lauren J , Pichegru Lorien , Sherley Richard B , Maneveldt Gavin W 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
Despite the importance of ecotourism in species conservation, little is known about the industry’s effects on wildlife. In South Africa, some African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) colonies have become tourist attractions. The species is globally endangered, with population sizes decreasing over the past 40 years. As African penguin chicks are altricial and unable to move away from anthropogenic stressors, it is important to evaluate the effect of tourist activities on baseline glucocorticoid levels as a measure of potential disturbance. Chicks at three study sites within two breeding colonies (Robben Island, Stony Point), with varying levels of exposure to tourism (low/moderate/high) were monitored. Urofaecal samples were collected to determine urofaecal glucocorticoid metabolite (ufGCM) concentrations as an indication of baseline stress physiology. Morphometric measurements were taken to compare body condition between sites. Penguin chicks experiencing low, infrequent human presence had significantly higher mean (± standard deviation) ufGCM levels [1.34 ± 1.70 μg/g dry weight (DW)] compared to chicks experiencing both medium (0.50 ± 0.40 μg/g DW, P = 0.001) and high levels of human presence (0.57 ± 0.47 μg/g DW, P = 0.003). There was no difference in chick body condition across sites. These results suggest that exposure to frequent human activity may induce habituation/desensitization in African penguin chicks. Acute, infrequent human presence was likely an important driver for comparatively higher ufGCM levels in chicks, though several other environmental stressors may also play an important role in driving adrenocortical activity. Nevertheless, as unhabituated chicks experiencing infrequent anthropogenic presence showed significantly higher ufGCM levels, managers and legislation should attempt to minimize all forms of activity around important breeding colonies that are not already exposed to regular tourism. Although the results of this study are crucial for developing enhanced conservation and management protocols, additional research on the long-term effect of anthropogenic activities on African penguin physiology is required.