bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The anti-atherosclerosis effect of anakinra, a recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, in apolipoprotein E knockout mice
Authors: Ku Eu Jeong , Kim Bo-Rahm , Lee Jee-In , Lee Yun-Kyung , Oh Tae Jung , Jang Hak C. , Choi Sung Hee 
Published: June 2021

Abstract

Purpose Interleukin (IL)-1β plays an important role in the atherosclerosis pathogenesis. We aimed to investigate the effect of anakinra, a recombinant human IL-1 receptor antagonist, on the progression of atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE−/−) mice.Methods ApoE−/− mice (8-week male) were treated with saline (control), anakinra 10, 25, and 50 mg/kg, respectively (n = 10 in each group). Mice were fed a standard chow (4 weeks) followed by an atherogenic diet (35kcal% fat, 1.25% cholesterol, 12 weeks). Atheromatous plaques and expression of inflammatory genes and signaling pathways in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RAOSMCs), and 3T3-L1 adipocytes were assessed.Results The plaque size of aortic arch (30.6% and 25.2% at the 25mg/kg and 50mg/kg doses, both P < 0.05) and serum triglyceride were significantly reduced in anakinra-treated ApoE−/− mice and inflammatory genes (IL-1β and IL-6) expressions in anakinra-treated HUVECs and RAOSMCs were suppressed (all P < 0.05). In RAOSMCs, anakinra reduced metalloproteinase-9 expression in a dose-dependent manner and inhibited RAOSMC migration in a wound healing assay. Anakinra-treated mice exhibited a trend toward lower CD68 + macrophage infiltration in visceral fat and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 expression was reduced in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.Conclusion IL-1 blockade with anakinra significantly reduced atherosclerotic plaque formation in ApoE−/− mice. Also, anakinra reduced expression of inflammatory genes in endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, and adipocytes and ameliorated processes involved in vascular remodeling. Anakinra could be a useful component of complementary treatment with standard regimen to reduce the residual cardiovascular risk.
Evaluation of Symmetric Dimethylarginine and Doppler Ultrasonography in the Diagnosis of Gentamicin-Induced Acute Kidney Injury in Dogs
Authors: Elgazzar Youssef Mohamed Yassein , Ghanem Mohamed M. , Abdel-Raof Yassein M. , Kandiel Mohamed.M.M. , Helal Mahmoud 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Acute kidney injury is a common problem in dogs and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, so this study was aimed to evaluate Symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), Doppler ultrasonography including resistive index (RI) in the diagnosis of acute kidney injury in dogs. Ten healthy mongrel dogs were injected with gentamicin sulphate 10% at the dose of 30 mg/ kg body weight daily for ten days for induction of acute kidney injury. Clinical, Biochemical, Ultrasonographic, Doppler ultrasonographic examinations, and urinalysis were performed for all dogs on zero day before induction, on the 5th day, and the 10th day of induction. The results of the current study showed a significant increase in plasma level of SDMA, serum urea, creatinine, phosphorus, potassium, and a significant decrease in serum sodium, calcium, and chloride on the 5th day and 10th day of induction, there was an increase in renal cortical echogenicity of right and left kidney compared to adjacent liver and spleen, respectively. RI value showed a significant increase on the 5th day and 10th day of induction. This study showed that SDMA is a sensitive, and promising biomarker for diagnosis of acute kidney injury in dogs compared to routine biomarkers also, the RI of Doppler ultrasonography is useful for early identifying acute kidney injury when the only observable change is an increase in cortical echogenicity.
Circulating miR-181 is a prognostic biomarker for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors: Hornstein Eran , Magen Iddo , Coenen-Stass Anna , Yacovzada Nancy , Grosskreutz Julian , Lu Ching-Hua , Greensmith Linda , Malaspina Andrea , Fratta Pietro , Yanowski Eran 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a relentless neurodegenerative syndrome of the human motor neuron system, for which no effective treatment exists. Variability in the rate of disease progression limits the efficacy of ALS clinical trials, suggesting that developing of better biomarkers for prognosis will facilitate therapeutic progress. Here, we applied unbiased next-generation sequencing to investigate the potential of plasma cell-free microRNAs as biomarkers of ALS prognosis, in 252 patients with detailed clinical-phenotyping. First, we identified miRNAs, whose plasma levels remain stable over the course of disease in a longitudinal cohort of 22 patients. Next, we demonstrated that high levels of miR-181, a miRNA enriched in neurons of the brain and spinal cord, predicts a >2 fold risk of death in discovery cohort (126 patients) and an independent replication cohort (additional 122 patients). miR-181 performance is comparable with the established neurofilament light chain (NfL) biomarker and when combined together, miR-181+NfL establish a novel RNA-protein biomarker pair with superior prediction capacity of ALS prognosis. Therefore, plasma miR-181 predicts ALS disease course, and a novel miRNA-protein biomarker approach, based on miR-181+NfL, boosts precision of patient stratification and may greatly enhance the power of clinical trials.
Association of Dietary Inflammatory Potential (DIP) and Endothelial Function Biomarkers among Female Nurses of Isfahan Hospitals
Authors: Gholizadeh Mohammad , Falahi Ebrahim , Keshteli Ammar Hassanzadeh , Nik Ahmadreza Yazdan , Saneei Parvaneh , Esmaeilzadeh Ahmad , Saedisomeolia Ahmad 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Background: Dietary inflammatory index (DIP) is a new dietary index designed to evaluate individuals’ diets. In addition, adhesion molecules are important biomarkers for assessing endothelium inflammation that they related to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Also, there is no study for assessing the association between adhesion molecules and DIP until now as well as other studies that assessed the relationship between dietary inflammatory index or DIP have controversy. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine the correlation between DII and endothelial markers such as E-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) among female nurses from Isfahan. In this study, dietary inflammatory potential (DIP) was used instead of DII.Methods: This study was performed on 420 healthy nurses. The nurses were selected by random cluster sampling method from private and public Isfahan hospitals. A validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was applied to assess the dietary inflammatory potential. A fasting blood sample was collected for measuring the plasma levels of the endothelial markers and other variables. Results: After adjusting different potential confounders, no statistical association was found between DIP and sICAM-1, E–selectin and sVCAM-1 in model I (P=0.57, 0.98 and 0.45), model II (P=0.57, 0.98 and 0.45) and model III (P=0.67, 0.92 and 0.50) in comparison to the crude group (P=0.35, 0.83 and 0.49, respectively). Conclusions: The results revealed that the plasma levels of endothelial markers including E-selectin, sICAM-1, and sVCAM-1 were not significantly associated with DIP in female nurses.
Harvesting Vibration Energy and Wind Energy by a Bi-stable Harvester: Modeling and Experiments
Authors: Li Haitao , Dong Bojian , Cao Fan , Qin Weiyang , Ding Hu , Chen Liqun 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
In realistic environments, there often appears the concurrence of base excitation and blowing wind. Harvesting both vibration energy and wind energy by an unique harvester is attractive. In this paper, we proposed a harvester integrating bi-stability and galloping to realize this aim. The nonlinear dynamical model of the bistable energy harvester under concurrent wind and base excitations is established. The galloping effects on the responses are explored based on the established model, for both harmonic and random excitations. The corresponding experiments are conducted to validate the theoretical prediction. The experimental results are consistent with the simulation results. At a wind speed of U=2 m/s, the bandwidth of large-amplitude inter-well motion of the bi-stable energy harvester is extended by about 18.5%. The critical random excitation level for snap-through is reduced by 58% and the total output voltage at random excitation is increased by 53.4%. Thus, the harvester could scavenge the wind and vibration energies at a high efficiency. These conclusions could be helpful for improving the harvesting efficiency in the real environment.
Genetic Spectrum and Clinical Features in a Cohort of Chinese Patients with Autosomal Recessive Cerebellar Ataxias
Authors: Cheng Hao-Ling , Shao Ya-Ru , Dong Yi , Dong Hai-Lin , Yang Lu , Ma Yin , Shen Ying , Wu Zhiying 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Background: Although many causative genes have been uncovered in recent years, genetic diagnosis is still missing for approximately 50% of autosomal recessive cerebellar ataxia (ARCA) patients. Few studies have been performed to determine the genetic spectrum and clinical profiles of ARCA patients in the Chinese population.Methods: Fifty-four Chinese index patients with unexplained autosomal recessive or sporadic ataxia were investigated by whole-exome sequencing (WES) and copy number variation (CNV) calling with Exome Depth. Likely causal CNV predictions were validated by CNVseq. Results: Thirty-eight mutations including 29 novel ones were identified in 25 out of 54 patients, providing a 46.3% positive molecular diagnostic rate. Ten different genes were involved, and the four most common genes were SACS, SYNE1, ADCK3 and SETX, which accounted for 76.0% (19/25) of the positive cases. The de novo microdeletion in SACS was firstly reported in China and the uniparental disomy of ADCK3 was reported for the first time worldwide. Furthermore, the clinical features of the patients carrying SACS, SYNE1and ADCK3 mutations were summarized. Conclusions: Our results expand the genetic spectrum and clinical profiles of ARCA patients, demonstrate the high efficiency and reliability of WES combined CNV analysis in diagnosing suspected ARCA, and emphasize the importance of complete bioinformatics analysis of WES data in making an accurate diagnosis.
Clinical, Echocardiographic and Cardiac MRI Predictors of Outcomes in Patients with Apical Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Yin Yanwei , Hu Wenjing , Zhang Lishu , Wu Dan , Yang Chengjiang , Ye Xinhe 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Purpose: The clinical prognosis of apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (ApHCM) is still controversial in the previous study. Moreover, there are limited studies on the prognostic risk factors of ApHCM. The present study aimed to observe the clinical prognosis of ApHCM and to identify the predictors of poor prognosis in clinical, echocardiographic and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.Methods：A total of 126 patients with ApHCM were identified retrospectively from January 2008 to December 2018. Adverse events were defined as a composite of cardiac death, progressive heart failure, myocardial infarction, thromboembolic stroke, appropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) interventions for ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation, and new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF).Results: During a mean follow-up of 96.8±36.0 months, clinical events were observed in 34 (27.0%) patients. The patients who experienced events were older and had higher incidence of heart failure. The patients with clinical events had higher incidence of non-sustained ventricular tachycardia and had larger LAVI and thicker apical thickness than those without clinical events, and were more frequently with LGE presence. The peak systolic mitral annular velocity (s’) was higher in patients with clinical events patients with events.Conclusions: ApHCM was not as benign as expected. Age≥55 years，LAVI≥36.7 ml/m2, s’≤6.7cm/s along with NSVT and LGE were independent risk factor for poor prognosis of ApHCM.
Lactation Counseling for Maintaining Exclusive Breastfeeding in Adolescent Mothers: A Trial Protocol
Authors: Sabogal Iliana Milena Ulloa , Domínguez-Nariño Claudia Consuelo , Mendoza-Monsalve Mary Alejandra 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Adolescent mothers have lower rates of initiation, continuation, and exclusivity of breastfeeding, and even more so in the first pregnancy. Current interventions target adult women, and little evidence is available for breastfeeding promotion among adolescents. This is a pilot study protocol with a parallel, single-blind, randomized, controlled trial design, to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention “Lactation Counseling” in first-time adolescent mothers to maintain exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of life. The control group will receive routine education in prenatal care and prenatal and childbirth classes and, the experimental group will receive additionally the intervention “Lactation Counseling”, for four weeks, both conducted by trained nurses. The primary outcome will be the exclusive breastfeeding rate; and the secondary, the breastfeeding knowledge. Measurements will be taken at baseline, post-intervention, and two, four and six months after childbirth. This study will allow the evaluation of the feasibility of an intervention in low-income, Latin American population adolescents.
Amyloid PET-Positive Predictability of Machine Learning Algorithm Based on MDS-OAβ Levels
Authors: Youn Young Chul , Pyun Jung-Min , Kim Hye Ryoun , Kang Sungmin , Ryoo Nayoung , Park Young Ho , Shin Hae-Won , Kim SangYun 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Background: The Multimer Detection System-Oligomeric amyloid-β (MDS-OAβ) level is a valuable blood-based biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We used machine learning algorithms trained using multi-center datasets to examine whether blood MDS-OAβ values can predict AD-associated changes in the brain.Methods: A logistic regression model using TensorFlow (ver. 2.3.0) was applied to data obtained from 163 participants (amyloid positron emission tomography [PET]-positive and -negative findings in 102 and 61 participants, respectively). Algorithms with various combinations of features (MDS-OAβ levels, age, gender, and anticoagulant type) were tested 50 times on each dataset. Results: The predictive accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity values of blood MDS-OAβ levels for amyloid PET positivity were 78.16±4.97%, 83.87±9.40%, and 70.00±13.13%, respectively.Conclusions: The findings from this multi-center machine learning-based study suggest that MDS-OAβ values may be used to predict amyloid PET-positivity.
Optimizing Hospital-to-Home Transitions for Older Persons in Rural Communities: A Participatory, Multimethod Study Protocol
Authors: Fox Mary T. , Sidani Souraya , Butler Jeffrey I. , Skinner Mark W. , Macdonald Marilyn , Durocher Evelyne , Hunter Kathleen F. , Wagg Adrian , Weeks Lori E. , MacLeod Ann , Dahlke Sherry 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Background: Transitional care involves time-limited interventions focusing on the continuity of care from hospital to home, to optimize patient functioning and management. Providing interventions, as part of transitional care, that optimize the functioning of older people with dementia is critical due to the small window of opportunity in which they can return to their baseline levels of functioning. Yet, prior research on transitional care has not included interventions focused on functioning and did not target older people with dementia in rural communities, limiting the applicability of transitional care to this population. Accordingly, the goal of this study is to align hospital-to-home transitional care with the function-related needs of older people with dementia and their family-caregivers in rural communities. Methods: In this multi-method study, two phases of activities are planned in rural Ontario and Nova Scotia. In phase I, a purposive sample of 15 - 20 people with dementia and 15 - 20 family-caregivers in each province will: rate the acceptability of six evidence-based interventions and participate in semi-structured interviews to explore the interventions’ acceptability and, where relevant, how to improve their acceptability. Acceptable interventions will be further examined in phase II, in which a purposive sample of healthcare providers, stratified by employment location (hospital vs. homecare) and role (clinician vs. decision-maker), will: 1) rate the acceptability of the interventions, and 2) participate in semi-structured focus-group discussions on the facilitators and barriers to delivering the interventions, and suggestions to enable their incorporation into rural transitional care. Two to three focus groups per stratum (8 - 10 healthcare providers per focus group) will be held for a total of 8 - 12 focus groups per province. Data analysis will involve qualitative content analysis of interview and focus group discussions and descriptive statistics of intervention acceptability ratings. Discussion: Findings will: 1) include a set of acceptable interventions for rural transitional care that promote older patients’ functioning and family-caregivers’ ability to support functioning; 2) identify resources needed to incorporate the interventions into rural transitional care; and 3) provide high-quality evidence to inform new transitional care practices and policies, and guide future research.
Cinnamic Acid Ameliorates Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease by Suppressing Hepatic Lipogenesis and Promoting Fatty Acid Oxidation
Authors: Wu You , Wang Ming-hui , Yang Tao , Qin Ling-ling , Hu Yao-mu , Zhao Dan , Wu Li-li , Liu Tong-hua 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Background: Cinnamic acid (CA)’s effect on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has not been investigated in detail. Thus, we performed this study in order to explore CA’s effect on hepatic lipid metabolism and the underlying mechanisms. Method: Oleic acid (OA) was used to induce lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells. After coincubation with CA, the cells were stained with oil red O and the triglyceride (TG) content was assessed. Key genes in lipogenesis and fatty acid oxidation pathways were assessed. Additionally, db/db and wt/wt mice were divided into three groups, with the wt/wt mice representing the normal group and the db/db mice being divided into the model and CA groups. After 4 weeks of oral treatment, all mice were sacrificed and the blood lipid profile and liver tissues were assessed. Results: CA treatment reduced the lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells and in db/db mouse livers. ACLY, ACC, FAS, SCD1, PPARγ, and CD36 were significantly downregulated, while CPT1A, PGC1α, and PPARα were significantly upregulated. Conclusion: CA’s therapeutic effect on NAFLD may be attributed to its ability of lowering hepatic lipid accumulation, which is mediated by suppression of hepatic lipogenesis and fatty acid intake, as well as increased fatty acid oxidation.
Exosomes Secreted by Mesenchymal Stem Cells Induce Immune Tolerance to Kidney Transplantation via Transporting lncRNA DANCR
Authors: Wu Xiaoqiang , Wang Zhiwei , Wang Junpeng , Tian Xiangyong , Cao Guanghui , Gu Yue , Shao Fengmin , Yan Tianzhong 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
BackgroundMesenchymal stem cells induce kidney transplant tolerance by increasing regulatory T (Treg) cells. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell exosomes (BMMSC-Ex) promote Treg cell differentiation. Long non-coding RNA differentiation antagonizing non-protein coding RNA (DANCR) is expressed in BMMSCs and can be encapsulated in exosomes. We aimed to explore the role of DANCR in BMMSC-Ex in immune tolerance after kidney transplantation and related mechanism.MethodsThe kidney transplantation model was established and levels of serum creatinine (SCr) were determined. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was conducted to detect the inflammation and immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the infiltration of CD4+ T cells. Levels of IFN-γ, IL-17 and IL-2 were examined by ELISA. Flow cytometry was conducted to determine Treg cells.ResultsIn allograft group, the inflammatory response was severe, CD4+ T cell infiltration, SCr levels, and plasma rejection related factors were up-regulated, while injection of BMMSC-Ex reversed the results. BMMSC-Ex increased Treg cells in kidney transplantation mice. Interference with DANCR reversed the promoting effect of BMMSC-Ex on Treg cell differentiation. DANCR bound to SIRT1, promoted ubiquitination and accelerated its degradation. The injection of BMMSC-Ex (after interference with DANCR) promoted SIRT1 levels, inflammatory response, CD4+ T cell infiltration, SCr levels, and plasma rejection related factors′ expression, while Treg cells were decreased.Conclusion﻿LncRNA DANCR in BMMSC-Ex promoted Treg cell differentiation and induced immune tolerance of kidney transplantation by down-regulating SIRT1 expression in CD4+ T cells.
Towards Texture Accurate Slice Interpolation of Medical Images Using PixelMiner
Authors: Roger William , Lambin Philippe , Keek Simon , Beuque Manon , Primakov Sergey , Lavrova Elizaveta , Wu Guangyao , Yan Chengong , Sanduleanu Sebastian , Gietema Hester , Casale Roberto , Occhipinti Mariaelena , Jochems Arthur , Woodruff Henry 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Quantitative analysis models are used for various medical imaging tasks such as registration, classification, object detection, and segmentation which all benefit from high-quality imaging. We propose PixelMiner, a convolution-based deep-learning model which interpolates computed tomography (CT) imaging slices while better preserving quantitative imaging features than standard interpolation methods. PixelMiner was designed to produce texture-accurate slice interpolations by trading off pixel accuracy for texture accuracy using a novel architecture. PixelMiner was trained on a large dataset consisting of 7092 lung CT scans and validated using external lung CT datasets. We demonstrated the model's effectiveness by using edge preservation ratio (EPR), compared texture features commonly used in radiomics, and performed a qualitative assessment by human trial. PixelMiner had the highest EPR 82% (p<.01) of the time compared to the closest competing method. It had the lowest texture error, using a normalized root mean squared error (NRMSE) of 0.11 (p<.01), with the highest reproducibility of concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) ≥ 0.85 (p<.01). PixelMiner was chosen 72% of the time by human evaluation (p<.01). PixelMiner was not only demonstrated quantitatively to have improved structural and textural constructions but also shown to be preferable qualitatively.